The Lone Star Farmers Market will expand its offering to SNAP participants beginning Friday at Lone Star Plaza in downtown Houston, along with accepting credit and debit cards.
The market, which is open 7 a.m. until noon, has been selected to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a program that serves as the domestic hunger safety net for those needing food. Those enrolled in the program will have their card swiped when they purchase garden produce or eligible products. Vendors are paid the same day.
Anyone will be able to use debit and credit cards, too.
Through partnerships with the Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities initiative and the Double Up Food Bucks program, those eligible will be able to buy up to $25 worth of healthy food and receive a dollar match in eligible projects, doubling their buying power.
Randee Cary is the market manager for the community initiative at First and Pine streets in Houston. Vendors also have access to a walk-in cooler, fast freezer and nearby community kitchen.
Cary recently won a Missouri Department of Agriculture Farmers’ Market Promotion Matching Grant to aid in promoting the market.