A $500 donation from Centra Southside Community Hospital is enabling the most needy and low-income in the community to access healthier options, including locally grown vegetables and other foods, using SNAP cards.

The SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal USDA program that offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities.

Thanks to the efforts of the Town of Farmville and the hospital, those enrolled in the SNAP program can have access to fresh food and vegetables.

“Centra Southside is expanding the value of SNAP by matching its benefits dollar

for dollar,” said hospital spokeswoman Kerry Mossler. “Access to fresh and local produce for the community is a priority for Centra Southside Community Hospital.”

According to the USDA, “SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net. The Food and Nutrition Service works with state agencies, nutrition educators and neighborhood and faith-based organizations to ensure that those eligible for nutrition assistance can make informed decisions about applying for the program and can access benefits.”

Thanks to the hospital and town, the Farmville Farmers Market is one of the organizations the USDA referred to.

When the farmer’s market opens for the season on April 23, those enrolled in SNAP can take advantage of the healthy local options.

“What it does for us it allows us to accept SNAP cards,” said Town Manager Gerald Spates. “You know you have to have a special machine. It’s just like a credit card machine. The thing that the hospital did was they donated $500 so that if somebody went to use the SNAP card, instead of being able to spend $1 off their SNAP card the hospital will be added to that, so they could get two for one.”

“If you bought $10 worth of vegetables, the hospital will give you $5 and you use your SNAP card for $5. If give you more buying power,” he said.

Spates said that the county’s social services department approached market manager Rodney Lewis about the partnership.

The new SNAP option will expose the market to more people, Spates said.

“Those people (who) didn’t have the cash in their pocket, but had a (SNAP) card, it makes it more accessible for them to be able to use it at that location. I don’t know how many farmers markets accept that.”

“I am very excited about this and really thank the many partners that made this possible,” said Pauline Stokes, an FCS SNAP Education Agent with the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

“Encouraging SNAP participation at farmers markets is important in ensuring that everyone has access to healthy food and investing money into local economies whether farmers’ markets are new or established, big or small,” she said.

According to Stokes, lack of access to healthy food has become a critical nationwide public health issue, “as people in low-income communities are more likely to be affected by diet-related diseases like obesity and diabetes than people in higher income communities with easy access to healthy food, like fruits and vegetables.”

She said that while grocery stores are the cornerstone of communities with high access to healthy food, “farmers markets can play an important role in increasing the availability of quality, fresh food. There are many benefits to farmers markets, not least of which is the fact that farmers markets often offer a higher ratio of fresh fruits and vegetables to unhealthy food than do their retail store counterparts.”

Stokes said that the farmers market model “is more flexible than other retail stores, and farmers markets require less capital to launch. Farmers markets also have the potential to strengthen the local economy in various ways.”

The Farmville Farmers Market, which will be open on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. from April 23 through October, is set to have more vendors this year than last, according to Spates.

“I think it will. I don’t think it’s any question about it,” he said of the market’s growth this year as compared to last year.

For more information on the program or the farmers market, call Spates at (434) 392-5686 or email gspates@farmvilleva.com.