Livable Success Story: Making Healthy Local Foods Accessible for All

When the Vermillion Area Farmers Market first considered the possibility of accepting SNAP benefits, there was not a model for them to follow. At the time, there were no other markets in the Dakotas accepting SNAP benefits. This project was truly about paving a new road. It took patience and persistence to find the right people and agencies to go through the process with the farmers market and to develop policies and procedures. The process required working collaboratively with multiple state agencies. Once approved to accept SNAP benefits, it took years of trial and error to develop forms, trainings, and procedures.

The Vermillion Area Farmers Market created a system to accept SNAP that is easy for customers, vendors, and the market manager. There has been a steady increase in the use of SNAP at the market, and they are seeking ways to further expand the program and forge new partnerships. Volunteers devised an annual fundraiser to help cover fees associated with the SNAP program, so this can be absorbed by the market rather than the vendors. A new token program was created which allows low-income customers to increase their spending power at the market, using tokens to double their dollars.

Learn more about how Vermillion’s successful initiative and some important take-aways for other communities considering similar projects at https://goodandhealthysd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/VermillionFarmersMarketSuccessStoryFINAL.pdf.