How this non-profit helps Virginians afford contemporary meals

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Contemporary Match is now providing a program that rewards individuals who use SNAP or EBT playing cards at farmer’s markets or sure grocery shops.

This system, referred to as VFM match, guarantees customers that for each greenback spent utilizing SNAP, they may get the identical quantity matched. They will use it to purchase contemporary produce, based on John Montgomery with the Dorey Park.

“And that is only a approach to guarantee that all people has entry to these domestically grown greens,” Montgomery mentioned.

VFM is doing this in an effort to fight meals insecurity, which has been an ongoing challenge in Richmond for years. A research from Feeding America states that roughly 15.8% of Richmond residents are meals insecure.

Montgomery, who runs a farmer’s market at Dorey Park, plans to combat the problem additional with little SNAPS, which permits for much more cash to be earned for folks with youngsters.

“In the event that they have been to make use of $20 of the SNAP advantages, they get a further $20 to spend on contemporary produce on the market,” Montgomery mentioned. “Now they’ve $40, After which on high of that they get a further $10 for as much as two youngsters.”

Little SNAPS is out there for everybody who already receives SNAP advantages, based on Montgomery.

Montgomery encourages everybody that qualifies to reap the benefits of each and verify together with your native farmers market or neighborhood grocery retailer to see if they provide it.

“I noticed households with wagons leaving out and I’ve heard suggestions from households and say that they are in a position to come right here and get the contemporary produce that they should increase what they’re getting in any other case,” Montgomery mentioned.

The Dorey Park farmer’s market runs each Saturday from 9 am to midday and lasts from June to October.