Farmers markets in Jersey City may be able to accept food stamps

JERSEY CITY – Jersey City has been awarded nearly $25,000 as part of a nationwide initiative from the Wholesome Wave Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to double the dollars SNAP recipients can spend on the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables at three participating farmers’ markets in Jersey City.
The cost of fresh fruits and vegetables at various farmers’ markets is significantly higher than prices often charged in supermarkets, local officials noted.
But Jersey City has large swaths were fresh farmers’ items are not readily available elsewhere in town, and city officials have been trying to a way for people on low or fixed incomes might be able to afford purchasing items there. Changes in the city’s regulations for farmers’ markets required them to accept what used to be food stamps.
The new grant would help increase the purchasing power at these markets.
The funding, which was announced as part of a $31.5 million grant by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack through the federal Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI), will be used to support increased access to fruits and vegetables for the food insecure of Jersey City, while also benefitting small and mid-sized farmers in the region.
“Our administration continues to think creatively about how we can expand access to healthy living for all of our residents and this grant is another great example,” said Mayor Fulop. “We are doubling the funds for residents so they can make healthy food choices for their families and shop at farmers’ markets right in their own neighborhood.”
With the award from Wholesome Wave, the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services will implement incentive programs at three of the city’s 10 farmers’ markets – the Arlington Park, Lincoln Park and Riverview Park farmers’ markets, who all volunteered to participate. JC Double Bucks, which will launch on Sept. 5, 2015, will be provided to SNAP Consumers in the form of tokens. For every $2 spent, SNAP consumers will receive a $2 match to spend, up to $10. FINI funds will also support multi-cultural promotional materials aimed at ensuring that incentive information reaches Jersey City residents citywide.