Business
BY: MICHAEL MILLION
Farmers markets across the Hays County area bring together local vendors, fresh food and community members in one place. For some residents, they can also serve as an accessible place to shop with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benets at select markets, according to the Texas Health and Human Services. When shopping at a participating farmers’ market, SNAP recipients can swipe their card at the main information booth and receive market currency to use on eligible items, according to Texas Farmers Markets. A guide to SNAP at farmers markets
SNAP eligible and non-eligible items Eligible items • Fruits, vegetables, garden seeds • Meat, ish, poultry • Bread, cereal • Plants that produce food • Milk, milk substitutes, dairy products Non-eligible items
• Tobacco • Alcohol • Non-food items • Vitamins • Medicines Items no longer eligible after April 1 • Candy bars, gum and taffy • Nuts, raisins or fruits that have been candied, crystallized, glazed or coated with chocolate, yogurt or caramel • Sweetened drinks
Shoppers who receive SNAP benets may be able to use them for eligible produce at select farmers markets.
COURTESY DOWNTOWN BUDA FARMERS MARKET SOURCE: BUDAFUL FARMERS MARKET, TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESCOMMUNITY IMPACT
The impact
Breaking it down
Hays County had 6,843 households utilize the program and 15,562 eligible individuals in January, according to the most recent data from the Texas Health and Human Services. The program is the second-most responsive federal program oering assistance to citizens during and after downturns in the economy, only after unemployment insurance, according to the CBPP.
SNAP is essential to providing nutritional support to working families with low-paying jobs, low-income adults 60 years and older and those with disabilities living on xed incomes, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, or CBPP. Texas had 1.6 million households utilize the SNAP program in September 2025, according to the most recent data from the Texas Health and Human Services. There were 3.5 million individ- uals who were eligible to receive benets in the same month.
SNAP eligibility limits Families are considered for SNAP based on household size and monthly income.
Family size $2,152
5 6 7 8
1
$5,177 $5,934 $6,690 $7,446
3 4 2
$2,909 $3,665 $4,421
To nd out which local markets accept SNAP, check out page 16
SOURCE: TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESCOMMUNITY IMPACT
19
SAN MARCOS BUDA KYLE EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook