Berkshire County — For the past three years, local organization Berkshire Agricultural Ventures has instituted its Market Match Fund to help support both residents on SNAP and farmers at local farmers’ markets.
As per the organization’s website, the mission of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, which was founded in 2017, is to support the development and viability of local farms and food businesses to build a thriving and equitable local food economy. According to the organization, in Berkshire County, 23,156 residents, 18 percent of the county’s population, received SNAP benefits in 2023.
The program matches SNAP purchases spent at farmers’ markets dollar per dollar up to $30 per purchase. According to the organization, since the program started, the Market Match Fund has supported over $370,000 in SNAP sales for local farmers and has doubled over 8,000 SNAP purchases at 11 farmers’ markets in the Berkshire County region.
Community Relations and Resource Development Manager Ciana Barnaba, who implemented and leads the program, told The Berkshire Edge that the fund is more important than ever in the post-pandemic era. “The federal government has made cuts to people’s SNAP benefits post pandemic,” Barnaba said. “People’s limited budgets just got even more limited. When you shop at farmers’ markets, there is a higher price point for goods and purchases, but for many good reasons. The food at farmers’ markets is all packed with freshness and nutrition compared to what has been sitting at the grocery store for who knows how long.”
Barnaba said that the program not only supports residents on SNAP but also local farmers. “Having SNAP benefits matched at markets also helps a farmer to get boosted dollars,” Barnaba said. “All farmers want to be out in the community to help feed their neighbors. A program like this helps a person with low income or food insecurity purchase healthy foods.”
Barnaba said that Berkshire Agricultural Ventures started the program in part because food insecurity has skyrocketed amongst the Berkshire County population. “SNAP-matching programs are not an inherent part of farmers’ markets,” Barnaba said. “It’s not something that needs to be at farmers’ markets. But it’s a nice thing to have for a community-building aspect. It makes farmers’ markers much more welcoming and brings a much more diverse group of people to the market.”
Barnaba added that the program is also much more important than ever because “from what I’m hearing from leaders of markets, right now things are pretty dire locally.” She explained, “Market managers are telling me that people have much less to spend, which is why customers are being much more selective in terms of how much they’re bringing home to their families. The average transaction size at markets has decreased, but there is approximately still the same number of people shopping at these markets. But spending has decreased. It’s really important to have a program like this.”
The public part of the fundraising campaign will end on Tuesday, April 30. However, the organization is still looking for donations year round from area foundations and business donors. As of mid-April, Barnaba said that the organization has raised $18,000 in total, with $30,000 as its set goal.
Farmers’ markets in Great Barrington, Lee, North Adams, Williamstown, Pittsfield, West Stockbridge, Stockbridge, Sheffield, and out-of-state markets in New Milford, Conn. and Millerton, N.Y. are scheduled to take part in this year’s Market Match Program, but Barnaba added there may be more markets taking part in the program in the future.
Click here to donate to the organization’s campaign. More information on the program can be found here.
