Accepting SNAP Bridge Cards at Michigan Farmers Markets

2016, 5th edition

PMS 361 PMS 376 PMS 122 PMS 7417 PMS 185 PMS 532PMS 3415

Support Michigan FarmersFind a Farmers Market

www.m i fma .org

Authors• DruMontri,MichiganFarmersMarketAssociation

• AmandaShreve,MichiganFarmersMarketAssociation

• KimberlyChung,MichiganStateUniversity

• RebeccaMino,MichiganStateUniversityAlumni

Editors• SydneyDebien,MichiganFarmersMarketAssociation

• PamWeinstein,NorthwestDetroitFarmersMarket

Graphic Designer• EmilyBeutel,MichiganFarmersMarketAssociation

AcknowledgementsWehavelearnedagreatdealfromthosewehaveworkedwithovertheyearsandgratefullyacknowledgethefollowingindividualsandorganizations:

• TheMichiganDepartmentofHealthandHumanServicesforhelpingusunderstandthestate’sFoodAssistanceProgram,theWICprogram,howfarmersmarketsserveasretailers,aswellasforfinanciallysupportingMIFMA’sworktoincreasethenumberoffarmersmarketsacceptingSNAPinMichigan,includingupdatingthismanual

• TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgricultureFoodandNutritionServiceforhelpingtonavigateandstreamlinetheapplicationprocessovertheyears

• Xerox(previouslyACSGovernmentSolutions)forsharingknowledgeregardingpointofsaledeviceoptionsprovidedbythestate’sElectronicBenefitsTransfer(EBT)contractorandotherthirdpartyprocessors

• TheFarmersMarketCoalitionforgatheringtogetherthefarmersmarketcommunityonanationalscaletosharebestpracticesaroundmarketmanagementandacceptingfoodassistancebenefits

• TheNationalSustainableAgricultureCoalitionforadvocatingforpoliciesthatassistfarmersmarketsinbeingconduitsforaccesstofresh,healthyandlocallygrownfoodsincommunitiesacrossthecountry

• FairFoodNetworkfordevelopingandsupportingthestatewideDoubleUpFoodBucksSNAPincentiveprogram

Wealsothankthe159farmersmarketsacrossMichiganthatacceptSupplementalNutritionAssistanceProgram(SNAP)benefits;byworkingwithandforyou,weareabletosharewithothermarketshowtomakethisworksuccessful.

PrefaceTheMichiganFarmersMarketAssociation,agroupthatbelieveseveryoneshouldhaveaccesstohealthy,locallyproducedfood,firstcompiledthisresourcein2009formanagersandorganizersofMichiganfarmersmarkets.Basedoncollectiveexperiences,ithasbeenrevisedregularlytoreflectourgrowingexpertisewithfoodassistanceprogramsatfarmersmarkets.

TheMichigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA)helpsmembersnetwork,shareresourcesandcollaboratetoincreaseaccesstohealthy,locallyproducedfoodsatfarmersmarkets.Ourfocusisonincreasingaccessforconsumerswhoareeligibleforfoodassistanceprograms,suchastheSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),Double Up Food Bucks,theFarmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP),theSenior FMNP,Hoophouses for Health,Prescription for Healthandsimilarprograms.InMichigan,theFMNPisknownasProject FRESHandSenior FMNPisreferredtoasSenior Project FRESH/Market FRESH.

In2006,onlythreeofMichigan’s150farmersmarketswereauthorizedtoacceptSNAP.Thefollowingyear,MIFMAformedapartnershipwithaneight-membercoalitionthataimedtoincreasethenumberoffarmersmarketsthatacceptSNAPbenefits.ThroughtheworkofthethentitledFoodAssistancePartnership,thenumberoffarmersmarketsacceptingSNAProsefrom11marketsin2007toapproximately130in2013.Likewise,thevalueofSNAPbenefitsredeemedatMichiganfarmersmarketsrosefrom$15,833in2007toapproximately$1millionin2013.

MIFMAcontinuestoworkinpartnershipwithmanyindividualsandorganizationsacrossthestateandcountrytoincreasefoodaccessthroughfarmersmarkets.MIFMAleadseffortsinMichigantoincreasethenumberoffarmersmarketsacceptingfoodassistancebenefitsandhashelpedgrowthatcapacitytohavemorethan155farmersmarketsacceptingSNAPandmorethan$1.2millioninSNAPbenefitsredeemedatMichiganfarmersmarketsin2015.

MIFMAisproudofitssuccessinexpandingacceptanceoffoodassistancebenefitsatMichigan’sfarmersmarkets.MichigancurrentlyleadstheMidwestintheseeffortsandranksfourthnationallyinboththenumberoffarmersmarketsthatacceptSNAPbenefitsandthedollarvalueofSNAPredeemedatfarmersmarketsannually1.

MIFMAsupportsmarketmanagersandorganizersintheireffortstowelcomefoodassistancerecipientstotheirmarkets.Byincreasingthenumberofparticipatingfarmersmarkets,weworktostrengthenourlocaleconomiesandimproveaccesstofreshfoodforallMichiganfamilies.

1 United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (2015) FY 2015 FM-DF Redemptions & Store Counts by RO-ST Redacted. Provided 12-14-2015.

Introduction to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)..................................... 7Food Assistance Goes Electronic ....................................................................................................... 7Becoming an Authorized Retailer: The Path for Farmers Markets .................................................. 7Why Should You Accept SNAP at Your Farmers Market? ................................................................. 8Is This Something You Want to Do? ................................................................................................... 8How to Use this Resource Manual ..................................................................................................... 9

Setting Up a SNAP Bridge Card Redemption Program at Your Market ......... 10First Things First: How Will You Set Up Your SNAP Program? .................................................. 10Step 1: Designating a Responsible Party .................................................................................. 10

Individual Vendor Model .................................................................................................................. 11Farmers Market Central Terminal Model ....................................................................................... 11Partnership Organization Model .................................................................................................... 12

Step 2: Completing the FNS Application................................................................................... 13Completing the FNS Application ................................................................................................... 14Supporting Materials to Submit with the Application ............................................................... 16 I’ve Submitted My Application: Now What Happens? ................................................................ 17

Step 3: Obtaining a Point-of-Sale Device (POSD) ..................................................................... 17How Does a Farmers Market Obtain a Point-of-Sale Device? .................................................... 18POSD Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................................... 20

Step 4: Setting Up an Alternative Redemption System ........................................................... 22Tokens or Paper Scrip ....................................................................................................................... 22A Receipt System ............................................................................................................................... 24

Step 5: Covering the Implementation Costs of Your Farmers Market’s SNAP Program ........ 26Customer Support: Credit/Debit Fee for Service .......................................................................26Vendor Support: Percentage of Sales ........................................................................................26Financial and In-kind Contributions from Community Partners ...........................................27Grant Funding ..............................................................................................................................27

Maintaining and Improving Your SNAP Program ....................................................... 28Recordkeeping ......................................................................................................................................... 28Working with Vendors ........................................................................................................................... 29Working with Volunteers ....................................................................................................................... 31SNAP Promotion and Outreach ........................................................................................................... 33Nutrition Education ................................................................................................................................ 37SNAP Incentive Programs ..................................................................................................................... 28Evaluating the Success of Your SNAP Program ................................................................................ 39

End Notes ..................................................................................................................................... 40Glossary of Terms .................................................................................................................................... 40Contacts ..................................................................................................................................................... 42Web-Based Resources ............................................................................................................................ 43Additional Resources ............................................................................................................................. 43

Table of Contents

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Jacob Wants a Peach Moniquewasrunninglatefromworktopickupherson,Jacob,fromtheHeadStartprogram.HersupervisorhadbeenexplainingaspecialtrainingprogramcomingupthatwouldenableMoniquetobepromotedtoabetter-payingposition.Asasinglemom,Moniquehastodoallshecantosupportherselfandheryoungchild.

AsshestrappedJacobintohiscarseat,hebegantocry.“Honey,what’swrong?”theyoungmomaskedhercrankythree-yearold.“Iwantapeach!”Jacobwailed,hiseyesfillingwithtears.“Okay,Jake,okay.We’llgotothefarmersmarketandgetyousomepeachesrightnow,”Moniquedeclared,wipingawayhistears.

MoniqueandJacobareregularcustomersattheirneighborhoodfarmersmarket.MoniquelikesthefreshfruitandvegetablesshecanbuyatthemarketwithherSNAPBridgecard,andJakelikesthehustleandbustleofthepeopleatthemarket,alongwiththepeaches.

MoniqueandJakearesoonparkedinthemarketparkinglot,andofftheygotobuysomeSNAPBridgecardtokens.MoniquehandsherSNAPBridgecardovertoSue,themarketvolunteer.“I’dliketoget$10worthoftokenstoday,”Moniquetellsher.Sueswipesthecardthroughthemarket’swirelesspoint-of-saledevice,punchessomebuttons,andsoonturnsthemachinearoundtofaceMonique.“EnteryourPIN,please,”SueasksMonique.Afewmorebuttonpushes,andthetransactioniscomplete.Thelittlemachinespitsoutapaperreceiptthatshowsthe$10purchase,alongwiththebalanceMoniquehasremaininginherSNAPBridgecardaccount.Themarketkeepsthisreceipt.SuethenprintsasecondcopyofthereceiptandpassesitovertoMonique,alongwithtenwoodencoins,eachworth$1.AllofthevendorsatMonique’smarketacceptthesetokensforthepurchaseofanyeligiblefoods.

MoniqueandJacobtaketheirtokensandthenmoveontothevendorstall,wheretherearepeachesheapedinbasketsatthefrontofhistable.“Onebasketofpeaches,please,”MoniquetellsHarold.

“Thatwillbe$4,”Haroldreplies,andMoniquethenhandshimfourofher$1tokens.ThepeachesgointoMonique’sshoppingbag,allbuttheonethatshehandstoJacob,whorespondswithabroadsmileashesetstoworkconsuminghisjuicy,deliciousprize.

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Introduction to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)TheSupplementalNutritionAssistanceProgram,orSNAP,isafederalnutritionassistanceprogramadministeredbytheUnited States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS).Basedonparticipants’incomesandfamilysizes,SNAPprovidesparticipantswithmonthlybenefitstopurchaseapprovedfooditems;itisthenation’slargestnutritionassistanceprogram.Low-incomehouseholdsareabletousetheirmonthlySNAPbenefitstoshopforfooditemsatauthorizedoutlets,includingfarmersmarkets.

Food Assistance Goes ElectronicThedaysofthepaperfoodstampsarelonggone.SNAPbenefitsaredistributedthroughanElectronic Benefits Transfer (EBT)systemthatusesplasticcardsthatworklikedebitcards.Whenashopperusesthecardtopurchasefood,fundsaretransferredelectronicallyfromtheshopper’sSNAPaccounttotheretailer’saccount.BecauseMichigan’sEBTcardfeaturesanimageoftheMackinacBridge,thecardiscommonlycalledtheBridge card.InMichigan,theDepartment of Health and Human Services (DHHS)administersSNAPandreferstoitastheFood Assistance Program (FAP).

Becoming an Authorized Retailer: The Path for Farmers MarketsMostpeopleknowthatgrocerystoresandconveniencestoresareabletoaccepttheSNAPBridgecardforfoodpurchases.WhatyoushouldknowisthatfarmersmarketscanalsoacceptSNAPbenefitsasaformofpaymentforfoodspurchasedatthemarket.

ToacceptSNAPbenefits,amarketmustsubmitanapplicationtoFNStobecomean“authorizedretailer.“Toqualify,marketsmustmeetminimumcriteriaforthetypesandamountsoffoodproductstheysell.RetailerscanbeauthorizedtoacceptSNAPif:

1. Theyofferaminimumof3itemsforsaleinallofthefollowingcategories:breadsorgrains;dairy;fruitsandvegetables;andmeat,poultryandfish.

2. Atleast50%oftheirtotalretailsalescomefromfooditemsinanyofthecategorieslistedabove.

TheapplicationamarketsubmitstoFNSforauthorizationtoacceptSNAPbenefitswillaskquestionstodetermineifamarketmeetsoneortheotherofthesequalifications.Mostfarmersmarketsqualifyunderthesecondpathway.

Inadditiontotheseminimumqualificationsforaretailer,onlycertaintypesoffoodscanbepurchasedusingSNAPbenefits.

Approved food items include:

• Foodorfoodproductsforhumanusesuchasbreads,meat,dairyproducts,cereals,seeds,fruit,andvegetables

• Plantsorseedsforuseinahomegardentoproducefoodforpersonalusesuchastomatoplants

SNAP benefits cannot be used to purchase:

• Beer,wine,orliquor• Cigarettesortobacco• Anynonfooditems,suchaspetfoods,soaps,paper

products• Vitaminsandmedicines• Hotfoodsorfoodthatismeanttobeeatenatthe

timeandplaceofpurchase

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Why Should You Accept SNAP at Your Farmers Market? WhenyouacceptSNAPbenefitsatyourfarmersmarket,youhelpyourvendorsandyourcustomers.Helpingyourvendorsandyourcustomersstrengthensyourmarket.

Vendors Gain Sales

Marketsthatacceptfoodassistancebenefitscanseeanacross-the-boardincreaseinvendorsales.InMichigan,morethan1.5millionpeoplereceivedSNAPbenefitsinDecember2015,spending182milliondollarsoneligiblefooditemsthatmonthalone2.TotalannualSNAPexpendituresin2015forthestateofMichiganexceeded2.3billiondollars3.ButSNAPdollarscanbespentonlyatauthorizedretailoutlets.Bybecominganauthorizedretailoutlet,youmakeitpossibletowelcomethesedollarsintoyourmarket.ASNAPprogramthatbringsadditionalrevenueintothemarketmayhelpyourecruitandretainvendors.Initiatingandsupportingprogramsthatincreasevendorsalesdemonstrateamarket’sdedicationtoimprovingtheviabilityofitsvendors.

Customers Gain Access

Acceptingfoodassistancebenefitsalsohelpsconsumers,particularlythosewhostrugglewithfoodinsecurity.Farmersmarketscanbeanimportantsourceofnutritiousfoodsforfamilies,especiallyinfoodinsecureareas,wherefull-servicegrocerystoresarenotavailable.

ProvidingSNAPclientswithavenuetopurchasehealthy,locallyproducedfoodsandtointeractwiththepeoplewhoproducedthatfoodisavaluableservicetoyourcommunity.Personalinteractionswithproducersallowconsumerstoaskquestionsaboutselection,preparationandstorageoffreshgoods.Italsohelpstodevelophealthyandconscientiousconsumers.

Is This Something You Want to Do? Asamarketmanagerororganizer,youknowhowmuchworkgoesintocreatingasuccessfulfarmersmarket.Everytask,fromcollectingstallfeestoconflictresolution,requirestime,energyandmoney.Acceptingfoodassistancebenefitsatyourfarmersmarketisnodifferent.Itisimportantthatyougivecarefulconsiderationbeforeyourmarketentersintothiscommitment.Pleasereadtheentiremanualbeforeyougetstarted,soyouhaveaclearunderstandingoftheprocessfromstarttofinish.

ThisresourcemanualguidesyouthroughtheprocessofdecidingifacceptingSNAPisrightforyourmarket.Itwillhelpyouunderstandtheresourcesneededtoacceptfoodassistancebenefitsandtogaugewhetheryourmarkethasthetime,energyandcapitalnecessarytomaketheprogramsuccessful.

Beforestartingthisprocess,considerthefollowing:

• TheprocessofsettingupSNAPacceptanceatyourmarketwilltaketime.Whocanspearheadthiseffortatyourmarket?Marketmanagersareoftenoverloadedandmaynotbeabletohandleadditionalduties.Arethereotherstafforvolunteerswhocantakeonthisresponsibility?

2 Department of Human Services (2015) Green Book Report of Key Program Statistics: December 2015 (pp. 4-7). Retrieved from https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdh-hs/2015_12_GreenBook_512259_7.pdf3 United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (2015) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefits. Retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/17SNAPfyBEN$.htm

“We are thrilled to offer this service to shoppers. Its a winning opportunity for

vendors too.” - Carol Moody, Mt. Pleasant

Farmers Market

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• Therewillbemanyongoingdutiesassociatedwithrunningtheprogramonaday-to-daybasis.Doesyourmarkethavestafforvolunteersthatcandevoteatleastseveralhourseachweektotheseduties?

• Participatingmarketsneedfinancialresourcestopurchasealternativeredemptionsystems(tokensorpaperscrip)andothermaterialsandequipment.Canyourmarketcoverthesecosts?Wherewillthemarketgainthefinancialresourcesnecessarytoincorporatethisprogramintoitsoperation?

• Whatistheorganizationalcapacityofyourmarket?Doyouhavetheabilitytokeepgoodrecordsandreimbursevendorsonatimelybasis?Ifnot,arethereotherorganizationsthatwouldbeinterestedinpartneringwithyoutoundertaketheseactivities?

Ifyourfarmersmarketisalreadythrivingandhastheorganizationalcapacitytomakethingsrunsmoothly,thenaddingafoodassistanceprogramisprobablyagoodfitforyourmarket.However,ifyourmarketiscurrentlystrugglingwithaspectsofmarketdevelopment,likevendorrecruitmentandretention,consumeroutreachandfinancialsupport,nowmaynotbethebesttimeforyoutotakeontheSNAPprogram.Yourenergyandresourcesareprobablybetterspentdevelopingastronger,morestablemarket,withthegoalofbecominganauthorizedSNAPretailerinthenearfuture.

How to Use this Resource ManualThisresourcemanualwillhelpyoudecideifyourmarketshouldacceptfoodassistancebenefits.IfyoudecidetobecomeanauthorizedSNAPretailer,itwillassistyouinimplementingthisfoodassistanceprogram.

Thisguideisdividedintosections.ThefirstsectionexplainsthestepsyouwillneedtotaketodevelopaSNAPprogramatyourfarmersmarket.TheremainderofthemanualisdevotedtotopicsrelevanttothemaintenanceandimprovementofyourSNAPprogram,suchasworkingwithvendors,coveringthecostsassociatedwiththeprogram,recordkeeping,workingwithvolunteers,andpromotionandoutreach.

Afterreadingthismanual,youwillprobablystillhavequestions.That’swhywe’veincludedalistoforganizationsthatcanprovideyouwithmoreinformation–seethelistsofcontactsattheendofthismanual.There’salsoaresourcelistattheendthatidentifiesfurthersourcesofinformation,aswellasaglossarythatcoversusefulterms,programsandacronyms.

Finally,thisresourcehasevolvedthroughtheyearsastheresultofthecollectiveexperiencesofmanyoftheMichiganfarmersmarketmanagerswhoaremembersofMIFMA.Ouraimistoenablemoremarketstoacceptfoodassistancebenefits.Ifwehaveleftoutinformationthatyouthinkisuseful,jointheconversation–pleaseletusknow,sowecanincludeyourexpertiseinthenextversionofthisdocument.YoucancontactMIFMAbyphoneat517-432-3381orthroughourwebsiteatwww.mifma.org.

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First Things First: How Will You Set Up Your SNAP Program? TostartaSNAPprogramatyourmarket,you’llneedanswerstothesequestions:

• Whowillberesponsibleforadministeringtheprogram?

• Whichsystemwillcustomersusetoredeemtheirbenefitsatthemarket?

Thesetwoissuesareintimatelyrelated.Theresourcesanduniqueconditionsateachmarketwilldeterminethemostappropriatearrangementsforthatmarket.Onceyouanswerthesetwoquestions,itwillbeclearwhoshouldsubmittheapplicationforauthorizationtotheFNS.AstheprevalenceofDoubleUpFoodBucks,aSNAPincentiveprogram,growsacrossMichigan,youmayalsowanttoconsiderhowthisincentiveprogramwouldbeimplementedwhenorganizingyourSNAPprogram.

Step 1: Designating a Responsible PartyThefirststepindevelopingaSNAPredemptionprogramatyourmarketisdeterminingwhowillberesponsiblefortheadministrationoftheprogram.SincetheresponsiblepartywillbelegallyresponsiblefortheappropriatehandlingofSNAPfundsandmayberequiredtosubmithis/herSocialSecuritynumberwiththeFNSapplication,thisdecisionisaseriousone.

FNShasclear,butstrict,expectationsofretailerswhoacceptSNAPbenefits.TheresponsiblepartymustenforceFNSrulesandregulationsandkeepspecificrecordsincasethereisanauditoftheSNAPprogram.Ifanerrordoesoccur,authorizationtoacceptSNAPbenefitscanberevoked,andyourmarketcouldbepenalizediftheerrorisfoundtobetheresultofintentionalmisconductornegligence.Ingeneral,itisunderstoodthatunintentionalerrorsoccur,andifproperstepsaretakentocorrectthesituationandpreventitfromhappeningagain,penaltiescanbeavoided.

Becauseofthelevelofresponsibilityassociatedwiththisrole,youshouldcarefullyconsiderwhowillbedesignatedtheresponsiblepartyforyourSNAPprogram.

Here,wedescribethreemodelsforadministeringtheSNAPprogramatfarmersmarkets,eachwithdifferentimplicationsastowhoisultimatelyresponsibletoFNS:1)IndividualVendorModel;2)FarmersMarketCentralTerminalModel;and3)PartnershipOrganizationModel.AwidevarietyofMichiganfarmersmarketsusethesemodelstoorganizetheirSNAPprograms.WealsoprovidespecificexamplesofMichiganmarketsusingthesemodels.

Asyoureadthedescriptionsandexplanations,youcanthinkaboutwhichmodelwillbestsuityoursituation.

Setting Up a SNAP Bridge Card Redemption Program at Your Market

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Individual Vendor ModelExample: Flint Farmers’ Market

AttheFlintFarmers’Market,individualvendorswhoselleligiblefoodproductsareauthorizedtoacceptSNAPbyFNS.Eachindividualvendoruseshis/herownpoint-of-sale device (POSD)andisthereforeabletoconducttransactionsdirectlywithSNAPconsumers.FlintoriginallyadoptedthismodelbecausethemarketdidnothavestaffconsistentlyavailableduringallmarkethourstocompleteSNAPtransactions.

ThismodelforadministeringSNAPprogramsatfarmersmarketsallowstheresponsibilitytoresidewithindividualvendorsatthemarket.VendorswhoselleligiblefoodproductsatafarmersmarketcompletetheirownapplicationstobecomeapprovedretailersbyUSDAFNS.Onceauthorized,thevendorscanthenobtaintheirownPOSDsandcarryouttransactionsdirectlywithSNAPclients.

ThisindividualvendormodelallowsSNAPuserstoskipthestepinvolvingacentralPOSDandanalternative redemption system.Instead,SNAPconsumerspresenttheirSNAPBridgecardsdirectlytovendorsandcompletetheirpurchasesdirectlywiththem.Thissystemalsoallowspaymentstobemadedirectlytovendorsinsteadofthroughthemarket,thusabsolvingthemarketofresponsibilityforreimbursingvendorsfortheirSNAPsales.

Vendorslikethissystembecausethefederalfundsgodirectlyintovendors’bankaccountswithin48hoursofthetransactionsbeingprocessed.However,underthissystem,vendorsmustalsotakeonbecomingauthorizedbyFNS,bearthecostofobtainingPOSDsandpayanybankprocessingfees.

Farmers Market Central Terminal Model Example: Downtown Marquette Farmers Market

TheDowntownMarquetteFarmersMarketisorganizedbytheMarquetteDowntownDevelopmentAuthority(DDA).Atthismarket,themarketmanagerisresponsiblefortheSNAPBridgecardprogramandfacilitatestheprogrambycompletingSNAPBridgecardtransactionsattheMarketManagerBooth.

Thedecision-makingbodyofthemarket,theDDAinthiscase,takesresponsibilityformanagingthefederalfundsneededtoreimbursevendorsfortheirSNAPBridgecardsales.FederalfundsfromtheSNAPprogramaredepositedintoabankaccountheldbytheDDA.TheDDAwritesreimbursementchecksfromthisaccounttoparticipatingvendorsattheendofeverymonth.

Withthismodel,theresponsibilityforcreatingandmanagingtheSNAPprogramlieswiththedecision-makingbodyofthefarmersmarket.ThemarketfacilitatesSNAPBridgecardtransactionsusingonecentralPOSDandisresponsibleforreimbursingvendorswiththefederalfundsobtainedfromthosetransactions.IfacentralterminalmodelistobeusedatthemarkettoacceptSNAPbenefits,FNSexpectsthedecision-makingbodyofthefarmersmarkettoapplyforauthorizationonbehalfofthefarmersmarket.Thedecision-makingbodyofthefarmersmarketmaybethesponsoringorganization,theemployerofthefarmersmarketmanager,ortheboardofdirectorsthatmanagesthemarket.

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OnceFNSapprovestheapplication,themarketbecomesanauthorizedretailer.Youwillreceiveaseven-digitauthorizationnumberandSNAPpermitfromFNS.ThisauthorizationallowsthemarkettoacceptSNAPBridgecardsonbehalfofanyvendoratthemarketwhosellsapprovedfooditems.

Toimplementthisadministrativemodel,themarketneedsonePOSDandanalternativeredemptionsystem.Asingle,centrally-locatedPOSDisusedtoswipethecustomers’SNAPBridgecards,thusdrawingfundsfromtheirSNAPaccountswhentheymakepurchasesatthemarketanddepositingthosefundsintothemarket’sdesignatedbankaccount.Thefundsdepositedintothemarket’sbankaccountwillbeusedbythemarkettoreimburseindividualvendorsfortheirSNAPsales.

Analternativeredemptionsystemliketokensorpaperscripisusedtokeeptrackofvendors’SNAPsales.Attheendofthemarketday,vendorsturnintothemarketmanagerthetokenstheyhavecollectedfromcustomers.Themarketmanagerissuesareceipttoeachvendorforhis/herredeemedtokens.ThealternativeredemptionsystemallowsmarketmanagerstotallythereimbursementsduetovendorsfortheirSNAPsales.[POSDsandalternativeredemptionsystemsaredescribedindetaillaterinthisdocument.]

Partnership Organization Model Example: Downtown Ypsilanti Farmer’s Market

TheDowntownYpsilantiFarmers’Marketbeganasapartnershipbetweenfourdifferententities:theWashtenawCountyPublicHealthDepartment,theYpsilantiFoodCo-op,MichiganStateUniversityExtension,andGrowingHope,anon-profitorganizationinthecommunity.Eachpartnerplayedanimportantroleinthemarket,includingGrowingHope,whichwasresponsibleformanagingtheday-to-dayoperationsofthemarket,whiletheYpsilantiFoodCo-opwasresponsibleformanagingthefoodassistanceprogramsatthemarket.

Whenthemarketfirstbegan,theYpsilantiFoodCo-opwastheFNSauthorizedretailerforthemarketandoperatedonewirelessPOSDatthemarkettobenefitalloftheparticipatingvendors.TheCo-op’sbankaccountreceivedthefederalfundsobtainedthroughBridgecardsalesatthemarket,andtheCo-opreimbursedthevendorsattheendofeverymonth.

AlthoughmanagementofthemarketandthefoodassistanceprogramsoperatingtherenowbothfallunderGrowingHope,thisPartnershipOrganizationModelworkedwellforthemarketformanyyears.

NoticethatthismodelalsousesonecentralPOSDandanalternativeredemptionsystemtoconductSNAPtransactions,butapartnerorganizationreceivesthefederalfundsandisresponsibleforreimbursingthevendors.The

processisidenticaltothatoftheDowntownMarquetteFarmersMarketdescribedaboveasanexampleoftheFarmersMarketCentralTerminalModel.Theonlydifferenceisthatapartnerorganizationisresponsibleforreimbursingthevendors,andassuch,responsibilityfortheprogramwithFNSlieswithapartnerorganizationinsteadofwiththedecision-makingbodyofthefarmersmarket.

Thispartnershiporganizationmodelisusefulinsituationswherethemarketisassociatedwithorworkscloselywithanothercommunityorganization.IfthecommunityorganizationisstronglycommittedtofoodaccessissuesortoservingSNAP–eligiblepopulations,theymaybewillingtoadministertheSNAPprogramonbehalfofthefarmersmarket.

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Inthismodel,thepartnerorganizationappliesforauthorizedstatusfromFNSandobtainsaPOSDthatisusedforacceptingBridgecardsatthemarket.FederalSNAPfundsaredepositedintoabankaccountheldbythepartnerorganization.ThepartnerorganizationisresponsibleforreimbursingvendorsfortheirBridgecardsales.AswiththeFarmersMarketCentralTerminalmodel,analternativeredemptionsystem(tokensorpaperscrip)isusedtotrackthevalueofSNAPsalesfromindividualvendorssothatthepartnerorganizationcandistributereimbursementstothevendorsfromthefundstheyreceivedfromtheBridgecardtransaction.

Step 2: Completing the FNS ApplicationAfterdecidingtoimplementSNAPacceptanceatyourfarmersmarket,thenextstepistoapplytotheFNSforauthorizationtoacceptSNAPbenefits.BasedonyourdecisionaboutwhowillberesponsiblefortheSNAPprogramatyourfarmersmarket,eithertheindividualfarmers,thedecision-makingbodyofthefarmersmarket,orthepartnerorganizationthatwillbeimplementingtheprogramwillcompletetheapplication.

Onceyousubmityourapplicationanditisapproved,youwillreceiveanofficialsevendigitFNSauthorizationnumberandpermittoacceptSNAPbenefitsinexchangeforqualifyingproducts.PurchasesbySNAPusersauthorizethetransferoftheirgovernmentbenefitsfromafederalaccounttoaretailer’saccountaspaymentfortheirpurchases.

Asanauthorizedretailer,youareresponsibleforensuringthatproductssoldtoSNAPusersqualifyasallowablepurchases.SellingproductsthatarenotpermittedunderSNAPregulations,suchashotpreparedfoods,canresultinpenalties,includinglossofFNSauthorization.Thispenaltyappliestoindividualvendorsandtomarketsacceptingbenefitsonbehalfoftheirvendors.Inthecaseofthelatter,itremainstrueifonlyasinglevendorisfoundinviolation.Forthisreason,itisveryimportantthatyoutrainindividualvendorsaboutproperproceduresandSNAPbenefitredemptionrulesandcreateSNAPproceduresthatareclearlyexplainedinyourmarketpolicy.

FNSrecommendsthatyoucompletetheapplicationtobecomeanauthorizedSNAPretaileronlineatwww.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailers-0.Inordertocompletetheapplicationonline,youwillfirstneedtodesignateausernameandpassword.Onceyoureceiveaconfirmationemailthatyouraccounthasbeencreated,youcanreturntothelinkabovetologinandbegincompletingtheapplication.PleasenotethatyoudonotneedadditionalUSDAaccountauthorizationtocompletethisapplication;youonlyneedausernameandpassword.

Inadditiontosubmittingtheonlineapplication,youmustalsomailapapercopyofthecompletedapplicationwithanysupportingdocumentationbypost.Supportingdocumentsincludeabusinesslicense(ifapplicable)andphotoidentification.

Thenextsectionofthisresourcemanualexplainstheapplicationprocessandtimeline.

If your organization manages multiple farmers markets, do you have to complete a “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Application for Stores” for each market?

Yes.AnFNSauthorizationnumberisassignedwhenthemarket’s“SupplementalNutritionAssistanceProgramApplicationforFarmersMarkets”isapproved.EachfarmersmarketlocationmusthaveitsownFNSauthorizationnumber,andtherefore,anapplicationmustbesubmittedforeachnewfarmersmarketlocationwhereSNAPbenefitswillbeaccepted.

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Completing the FNS Application

Therearetwoapplicationsforretailers:

1. SupplementalNutritionAssistanceProgramApplicationforStores–Individualfarmersshouldcompletethisapplication

2. SupplementalNutritionAssistanceProgramApplicationforFarmersMarkets–Decision-makingbodiesoffarmersmarketsorpartnerorganizationsapplyingtoacceptSNAPonbehalfof2ormorevendorsatafarmersmarketshouldcompletethisapplication

FNSprovidesstep-by-stepinstructionstocompletetheonlinefarmersmarketsSNAPauthorizationapplicationonlineatwww.fns.usda.gov/ebt/snap-and-farmers-markets.Belowisadditionalguidanceonhowtoanswersomeofthequestionsontheapplication.

Question: Ownership TypeThisquestionasksyoutoindicateyourmarket’s“typeofownership.”Youaregivensevenchoices:PrivatelyHeldCorporation,PubliclyOwnedCorporation,SoleProprietorship,Partnership,LimitedLiabilityCompany,NonprofitCooperative,andGovernmentOwned.Youmayfindthatyourfarmersmarketdoesnotseemtofitintoanyofthesecategories.

Toanswerthisquestion,youshouldselectthetypethatappliesmostcloselytoyourfarmersmarket.Herearethedefinitionsoftheownershiptypes:

• Privately Held Corporation:acorporationownedbyafewpeopleforwhichshareshavenopublicmarket.

• Publicly Owned Corporation:aprivatecompanythathasaclassofsharestradedinthepublicmarket.

• Sole Proprietorship:abusinessorfinancialventurethatiscarriedonbyasinglepersonandisnotatrustorcorporation.Asoleproprietor(soleowner)hasunlimitedliability.

• Partnership:aformofbusinessorganizationcreatedbyanagreementbetweentwoormorepersonswhocontributecapitaland/ortheirservicestotheorganization.

• Limited Liability Company (LLC):abusinessformthatprovideslimitedpersonalliability,asacorporationdoes.Owners,whoarecalledmembers,canbeothercorporations.

• Nonprofit Organization:anorganizationthatconductsbusinessforthebenefitsofthegeneralpublicandisthereforegrantedtax-exemptstatusbytheInternalRevenueService(IRS)If you are a nonprofit organization, documentation of nonprofit status must be submitted with the application (i.e. IRS exemption letter or Articles of Incorporation for a Domestic Non-Profit Corporation).

• Government Owned:agovernmentownedandoperatedfacilityforthepurposeofprovidingsomegoodsorservicetocitizens.Thisincludescity,town,countyormunicipalownership.

Mostfarmersmarketsareeithergovernmentowned(municipal,town,county),managedbyanonprofit,orsoleproprietorships.Soleproprietorshipsincludealooselyconnectedgroupofvendorsinwhichthereisnolegalassociationbutforwhichasinglemarketmanageristakingresponsibilityforthegroup.

“We were very happy to be able to offer this assistance this year and although our numbers weren’t huge, the

people who participated were very happy with the

program and with us offering it. I’m very hopeful that next year the numbers increase as people become more aware

that we are offering it.” - Kim McKay, Rockford

Farmers Market

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Question: Responsible Official Information Ifthereisagoverningboardofsomesortforyourmarket,isitsufficienttoprovideinformationaboutitsofficersratherthanabouteachboardmember?

Yes.Provideinformationforatleastoneoftheofficers.Iftherearenoofficersorboardmembers,provide informationforthemarketmanager.

Is someone required to provide photo identification and their Social Security number?Unlessamarketismanagedbyanonprofitoraunitofgovernment,someonewiththefarmersmarketmustprovidephotoidentificationandtheirSocialSecuritynumber.Whethertheyareanofficer,boardmemberoramarketmanager,photoidentificationanddocumentationofSocialSecuritynumbermustbeprovidedtoFNSfortheindividualresponsiblefortheoperationoftheSNAPprogramatthefarmersmarket.MarketsmanagedbyanonprofitoraunitofgovernmentwillbeaskedinsteadtoprovidetheEmployerIdentificationNumber(EIN)asanalternativetoprovidingaSocialSecuritynumber.

Question: Retail SalesCanIestimatemymarket’sretailsales?Ifso,howdoIestimatemymarket’sannualsales?

Yes,ifyoudonottrackvendorsalesatyourmarket,youcanenteranestimateforthisquestion.Therearemultiplewaystoestimateyourannualretailsales.Forafarmersmarketwithmultiplevendors,oneofthemostaccuratewaystoestimateannualretailsalesistoaskallofyourvendorstoestimatehowmuchtheysellinamonth(indollars),thenmultiplytheirestimatesbythenumberofmonthsyourmarketisopen.Addallthevendorestimatestocalculateyourannualretailsales.

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Supporting Materials to Submit with the Application

ToensuretimelyprocessingofyourFNSapplication,fillouttheonlineapplicationformcompletelyandcorrectly.Next,printtheapplicationandhaveitsignedbytherepresentative(s)listedontheapplication.Werecommendkeepingacopyoftheapplicationincaseofanylossordamageduringthemailingprocess.YouwillneedtomailalloftherequiredsupportingdocumentstoFNS.Makesurethedocumentsareclearandreadablecopies.

Alongwiththeapplication,supportingdocumentshelpFNSstaffunderstandwhoyouareandthereforewillassistinfasterprocessingofyourapplication.Submitthefollowingmaterialswithyourapplication:

• Document Cover Sheetgeneratedfromtheonlineapplication

• Certification and Signature StatementgeneratedfromtheonlineapplicationandsignedbyaResponsible Official

• Copies of photo identification for all owners,partners,officersandResponsible Officialslistedontheapplication.4Photocopiesofdriver’slicensesorMichiganstateIDswillfulfillthisrequirement.

• Social Security Number verificationforallowners,partners,officersandResponsible Officialslistedontheapplication,andincommunitypropertystatesforspouses,mustbeprovidedunlessyourmarketismanagedbyeitheranonprofitoraunitofgovernment.PhotocopiesofSocialSecuritycardswillfulfillthisrequirement.

• Copy of one current license required to operate your business in your name.Copiesofahealthpermit,foodinspectionpermit,salestaxpermit,seller’spermit,lotterylicense,orbeerorwinelicensecanallbeaccepted.This may not pertain to most farmers markets. Some municipalities will issue a license to operate a market while others do not; there is no license required by the Michigan state government to operate a farmers market. If you have a local business operator’s/seller’s/or vendor’s license, you may submit that with your application. If you do not have a local permit, provide a statement that no local permit is required and that is why you are not submitting one.

• Ifownedbyanonprofitorganization,copy of IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter.

• Ifyourmarketissponsoredbyaunitofgovernment,an official letter declaring the governmental unit as the market ownerisalsorequested.Forexample,ifthemarketismanagedbyatownship,aletterontownshipletterheadacknowledgingthatthetownshipmanagesthefarmersmarketsignedbythetownshipsupervisorwouldbeappropriate.

KeepinmindthatFNSprocessesthousandsofretailstoreapplicationseachyear.TheyreceiveonlyasmallnumberofapplicationsfromfarmersmarketstobecomeSNAPretailers.In2015,FNSreportedthatmorethan6,500oftheirauthorizedSNAPretailerswereclassifiedasfarmersmarketsordirectmarketingfarmers5,accountingforonly2.5%oftotalauthorizedretailersnationwide6.

FNSwantstoprocessapplicationsfromfarmersmarketsasquicklyaspossible.Duringtheapplicationprocess,youmaybeaskedtoprovideadditionaldocumentationasneeded.Failuretocomplywithanyrequestforinformationmayresultinthedenialofyourapplication.Incompleteapplicationswillbenotbeprocessed,delayingthereviewofyourmarket’sapplicationandauthorizationtoacceptSNAPbenefits.

4 If the farmers market is located in a community property state (i.e. Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, State of Washington, or Wisconsin), you must also include a copy of photo ID for your spouse.5 United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (2015) SNAP at your Farmers Market presentation. Delivered at the Michigan Farmers Market Conference on March 9, 2016. 6 United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (2014) SNAP Retailer Locator Retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailerlocator.

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I’ve Submitted My Application: Now What Happens?

OnceyousubmittheapplicationtoFNSforauthorizationtoacceptSNAPandalladditionaldocuments,FNShasupto45daystoapproveordenyyourapplicationforaSNAPpermit.AFNSrepresentativemaycontactyouwithadditionalquestionsorvisityourmarkettomakesureitiseligibletoparticipate.Ifyourapplicationisaccepted,youcanbeginimplementingaSNAPprogramatyourfarmersmarketassoonasyoureceiveyouracceptanceletterand/oremailfromFNS.

Ifyourapplicationisdeniedbecauseyourfarmersmarketdoesnotmeettheeligibilitycriteria,youmustwaitsixmonthsbeforeyoucansubmitanewapplication.

IfyouareapprovedbyFNSandtheinformationyousubmittedonyourapplicationchanges,youcanupdatetheinformationbycontactingtheFNSRegionalFieldOfficeclosesttoyourmarket.YouwillneedtoprovidethemwithyourFNSnumbersothattheycanattributethechangestoyourpermit.ToreachtheFNSFarmersMarketHelpline,call312-353-6609.

Step 3: Obtaining a Point-of-Sale Device (POSD)AsaFNSauthorizedretailer,themostimportantpieceofequipmentyouwillneedisaPOSD.APOSDisasmallmachinethathasakeypadandthroughwhichyoucanslideanEBT,credit,ordebitcard.EBTtechnologymakesitpossibleforfundstobetransferredelectronicallyfromthefederalgovernmenttothebankaccountsofauthorizedretailerspertherequestoftheclientsreceivingbenefits.Allauthorizedretailersneedtohaveacheckingaccountforfundstobetransferredto.

Likeadebitcard,aSNAPBridgecardcallsforacertainamountoffundstobetransferredelectronicallyfromonefinancialinstitutiontoanother.APOSDisnecessarytoreadtheSNAPBridgecardandtoallowthecustomertoinputtheirPersonalIdentificationNumber(PIN)toauthorizethepayment.ThePOSDwillconfirmthattheclienthasthefundsinhis/heraccounttocoverthetotalsaleamountandthenwilltransferthemoneytotheaccountassociatedwiththemachine,forexample,thecheckingaccountforthefarmersmarket.

Fundsaretransferredwithin48hoursfromthefederalgovernmenttotheresponsibleparty’saccount(72hoursifabankingholidayinterferes).Youshouldnotworrythattheclientdoesn’thavesufficientfundstocoverhisorhertransactionbecausethePOSDmachinewilldenythetransactionifthatisthecase.Themachineprintsareceiptthatshowsthedenial,alongwiththeclient’sactualaccountbalance.

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How Does a Farmers Market Obtain a Point-of-Sale Device?

TheinformationinthissectionhelpsyoudeterminewhatkindofPOSDisbestforyourfarmersmarket.TheStateofMichiganhasacontractwithacompanytoprovideafree,hard-wiredPOSDstoallfarmersmarketsanddirect-marketingfarmersauthorizedtoacceptSNAP.IfyourfarmersmarketisequippedwithbothelectricityandalandlinetelephoneatthemarketlocationandyouintendtoonlyacceptSNAP(notcreditordebitcards),thenwerecommendobtainingafreePOSDfromMichigan’sEBTcontractor.UnderthecontractwiththeState,notransactionfeesareincurredforSNAPtransactions.Theonlycostsassociatedwithuseofthismachinearefortheelectricityitusesandfortelephoneservice.

Ifyourfarmersmarketalsowantstoacceptcreditand/ordebitcardsfornon-SNAPpurchases,youwillneedasecondPOSD,sincethefreedevicefromMichigan’sEBTcontractorcannotcompletethosetransactions.Somemarketsfindthatitiseconomicaltoobtaintwomachines–thefreedevicefromMichigan’sEBTcontractorforSNAPtransactionsandasecondmachinefromathird party processor (TPP)toacceptcreditand/ordebitcards.ATPPisanycompanythatprovidescreditcardprocessing.TPPsarealsocalled“MerchantServiceProviders”andareusuallybankinginstitutions.Thetwomachinescanbe“piggybacked”orconnectedtogetherbyasectionofphonelinesothatonlyonephonelineisrequired.

No Electricity or Phone Line? Go Wireless

Ifyourfarmersmarketislocatedatasitewhereelectricityand/orphonelinesarenotavailableandcannotbeinstalled,youwillneedawirelessPOSD.Somepartiallywirelessmachinesrequireelectricitybutnotaphoneline,andothersarecompletelywirelessandoperateonbatterypower.BesureyouunderstandwhatwillberequiredbeforeyouobtainaPOSD.

YoushouldalsodetermineifthePOSD1)operateswithoutaphonelinebecauseitutilizescell-phonetechnologyfordatatransfer,or2)utilizeswirelessinternetaccess,orWi-Fi,tocompletetransactionsviatheInternet.Thesemechanismsarenotthesame.Usually,awirelessmachinewilluseacell-phonesignal;however,POSDsthatusetheinternetarealsoavailableandcouldbebeneficialifyourmarketislocatedinanareawithaccesstoreliablewirelessinternetservice.Ifthemachineusescell-phonetechnology,besuretoaskwhotheserviceprovideritusesistomakessuretheprovidercoversyourgeographicarea.

Startingin2012,FNSbegandistributingfundstoassistfarmersmarketsinobtainingthewirelessPOSDsnecessaryforacceptingSNAPbenefitsinlocationswhereaccesstophonelinesandelectricitywerenotavailable.Startingin2016,FNSisworkingwiththenationalFarmersMarketCoalition(FMC)toequipfarmersmarketsanddirectmarketingfarmerswithfree,wirelessPOSDstheycanusetoacceptSNAP.Formoreinformationaboutthisavailablefundingandtodetermineifyourmarketqualifies,visitwww.fmctoolbox.orgorcontactMIFMAtolearnmoreaboutcurrentfundingsourcestosupportthisequipmentneed.

MarketsinneedofawirelessPOSDalsohavetheoptiontopurchase,leaseorrentadevicefromawidevarietyofcompanies.Ifyouchoosetopursuethisoption,youshoulddosomeresearchtofindacompanythatbestsuitstheneedsofyourfarmersmarket.WhenyouarespeakingtopotentialTPPs,youshouldmakeclearthatyouareinterestedinacceptingSNAPBridgecards/EBT.NotallTPPsareequippedtoprocessEBTtransactions,andtheymightassumeyouareinterestedonlyinacceptingcreditand/ordebitcards.

AgreatplacetostartwhenyouarelookingforaTPPisyourlocalbank.Useyourrelationshipwiththemtoseewhatservicestheycanofferorwhatrecommendationstheycanmakeastowhichcompanyyoushouldworkwith.

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Purchase, Rent, or Lease?AwirelessPOSDcanbepurchased,rentedorleased.Eachoptioncomeswithadvantagesanddisadvantages.Thefollowingtableidentifiessomeofthemostimportantconsiderations,butyoushouldalsoconsideraspectsthatareuniquetoyourownsituationbeforemakingadecision.

Purchasing a POSD Renting or Leasing a POSDPositive Negative Positive Negative

•One-timeinitialinvestment

•Costcanoftenbecoveredbyaone-timegrant,sponsorshipordonation

•Capitalinvestmentrangingfrom$300to$1,200

•Youownthemachineandareresponsibleforitsmaintenance,storageintheoff-seasonandpossiblenecessaryupgrades

•Noinitialcapitalinvestment

•Thecompanyownsthemachineandisresponsibleformaintenanceandnecessaryupgrades

•Youmaybeallowedtoturnitinattheendoftheseasonandnotberesponsibleforstorage

•Cancost$50ormorepermonthinadditiontotransactionfees

•Fundingmustbesustainedovertime

•Somecompaniesmaynotallowyoutosuspendserviceduringmonthswhenyourmarketisnotoperatingorallowyoutorentseasonally

Justlikewithalltechnology,optionsforPOSDsarealwayschangingandevolving.Thebestadvicewecanofferistoexplorealltheoptionsfullyanddeterminewhatisbestforyourfarmersmarket.Talktoothervendors,marketmanagersandmobilemerchantstoseewhattheyrecommend.Asklotsofquestions!

Is there an App I can use to accept SNAP benefits on a Smartphone?AsofMarch2016,USDAFNShasapprovedoneappthathasbeendesignedtoprocessSNAPtransactions.TheappiscalledMobileMarket+andwascreatedbytheNovoDiaGroupofAustin,Texas.TheappiscurrentlyavailableforIOSandAndroiddevices.IndividualswantingtoutilizethisappcandosothroughacontractwithaprogramcalledMarketLinkthatworkswithacompanycalledWorldPayInc.toprocesstransactions.Findoutmoreatwww.marketlink.org.

What Can the Market Expect to Pay in Merchant Fees? AllPOSDs,exceptthefree,hard-wireddevicefromMichigan’sEBTcontractor,incursometransactionandmonthlyfees.Intheindustry,thesefeesarereferredtoas“RetailMerchantAccountFees”andcanincludetransactionfees,statementfees,applicationfees,andmonthlyminimums.Beforesigningacontract,carefullyreadtheserviceapplicationand/oraskforasamplebillingstatementtoseewhatchargesyouwillbesubjectto.

Retail Merchant Account Fee Range of Possible Costs 7

Application Fee Upto$100one-timefeefornewcustomersWireless Network Access Fee $15-50permonthMonthly Minimum $5-20permonthMonthly Service Fee $5-10permonth(maybechargedonceannually)EBT Transaction Fee $0.04-0.20pertransactionBatch Fee Upto$0.25per“Batch”receipt

7 These examples are based on information collected from third party processors responding to a Request for Proposals from the Michigan Farmers Markets Food Assistance Partnership in May 2010. Based on experience working with third party processors and farmers markets since 2010, these ranges of possible costs are still relevant.

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POSD Troubleshooting Guide

Whattodoif…

A SNAP Bridge card won’t scan.SNAPBridgecardsarenotoriouslydifficulttoscan.YouwillfrequentlyneedtoentertheSNAPBridgecardnumberintothePOSDbyhand.ToentertheSNAPBridgecardnumbermanually,refertoyourPOSDinstructionmanualand/orfollowtheon-screenprompts.

TroubleprocessingaSNAPBridgecardmayalsobeduetothefactthattheBridgecardyouareattemptingtoswipeisfromadifferentfoodassistanceprogram.InMichigan,threedifferentfoodassistanceprogramsuseanEBTBridgeCard:SummerEBTforChildren,WICandSNAP.TheWICandSummerEBTforChildrenBridgecardshavetheprogramnameprintedinthebottomleft-handcornerofthecardwhiletheSNAPBridgeCarddoesnothaveaprogramnameprintedonit.MakesurethatwhenyouareprocessingaSNAPtransactionthecustomerisusinghisorherSNAPBridgecard.

A SNAP Bridge card is denied.ASNAPBridgecardisdeniedwhenthecardholder’saccountdoesnotcontainsufficientfunds.IntheeventthataSNAPBridgecardisdenied,youshouldnotdispensetokensorcompletethesale.Instead,youcandirectthecustomertopaywithadifferentcurrencyorreducethedollaramountofthepurchasebasedontheremainingcardbalance.

You are having trouble with your phone line.First,checkyourphonelinecableasitconnectstothejack.Youmaywanttokeepaspareorshorteroneonhandincasethefirstonebreaks.AbrokencablewillmakeitimpossibletoconducttransactionswithahardwiredPOSD.Seethenextsectiononusingmanualvouchersasaback-up.Iftheproblemcannotbefixedonsite,youmayneedtocontactyourphoneserviceproviderandarrangeforatechniciantocomeexamineand/orrepairyourutilitiesafterthemarketcloses.

The POSD does not power on or process transactions.YoucanprocessSNAPBridgecardsmanuallybycallingintheinformationtoanautomatedprocessingcenter.YouwillneedtofilloutvoucherswhenprocessingEBTmanually.Aftertheautomatedprocessingcenterapprovesthetransaction,youcandispensetokenstothecustomer.

POSD Troubleshooting Asisthecasewithmosttechnologicaldevices,therewillbetimeswhenyourPOSDdoesnotseemtoworkproperly.ThisTroubleshootingGuideaddressessomecommonproblems.

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An Alternative or Back-Up to a Point-of-Sale Device: Manual Vouchers

ManualvoucherscanbeusedbyauthorizedretailerstoprocessSNAPtransactionswithouttheuseofaPOSD.Theycanonlybeusedasaback-upwhenaproblemoccurswithawiredorwirelessPOSD.

ToprocessSNAPtransactionswithmanualvouchers,youmustfollowatwo-stepprocess:

1. UseacarboncopyreceiptprovidedtoyoubyyourTPPtocollectthenecessaryinformation.Youwillneedtocallanautomatedprocessingcenterandenterallofthisinformationtoconfirmthetransaction.Oncethetransactionisauthorized,youwillrecordanauthorizationnumberonthereceipt,andaholdwillbeplacedonthecardholder’saccountforthatdollarvalue.Do NOT collect and record any information (such as the customer’s PIN number) that is not requested on the manual voucher because this can jeopardize the security of the customer’s information.

2. Tocompletethetransferoffunds,manualvouchersmustbemailedtoaprocessingcenterorenteredintoaPOSDwithinanallottedtimeframe(usually4-10businessdays).Thefundswillnotbetransferredtoyouraccountuntilyoucompletethissecondstep.

Theprocesstakes3-5minutespertransactionandrequiresthatyouhaveaphoneonsite.

Werecommendthatyouhavemanualvouchersatthemarketintheeventaproblemarises.Thatway,yourabilitytoacceptSNAPbenefitsisnotdisruptedifaproblemoccurswithyourPOSD.ManualvoucherscanbeobtainedfromtheTPPwithwhichyouareworking.

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Step 4: Setting Up an Alternative Redemption SystemWhentheentirefarmersmarketusesonlyonePOSD,thefarmersmarketmustsetupanalternativeredemptionsystemtoallowthemarkettotracktheSNAPsalescarriedoutbyeachvendorandtoreimburseeachvendorappropriately.

ThealternativeredemptionsystemrequirescustomersshoppingwithSNAPBridgecardstocometoacentrallocationwheretheyexchangetheirSNAPbenefitsforacurrencyusedbythefarmersmarket,usuallywoodenormetaltokensorpaperscrip.Thistypeofsystemiscalledanalternativeredemptionsystembecauseitusesacurrencythatisacceptedonlyinyourmarket.Thealternativeredemptionsystemusuallytakesoneoftwoforms:1)tokensorpaperscrip,or2)receipts.Thetypeofalternativeredemptionsystemyouchoosewilldependontheorganizationandresourcesofyourmarket.

Tokens or Paper Scrip

Mostalternativeredemptionsystemsuseeithertokens(alsoreferredtoaswoodennickels)orpaperscripasanalternativecurrency.Here’showitworks:CustomersapproachthecentralPOSDrunbyamarketstaffpersonorvolunteeranddecidehowmuchoftheirSNAPbenefitstheywouldliketospendatthemarketthatday.ThestaffpersonorvolunteerswipestheSNAPBridgecardonthecentralPOSDandenterstheamountcustomersrequestbeforeinstructingthemtoentertheirPIN.ThePOSDwillindicateiftheamountisauthorized,andareceiptwillbeprintedbythePOSD.Thestaffpersonorvolunteerthengivesthecustomersthenumberoftokensorpaperscripequaltotheamountthathasbeenapproved.

Customerscanthenspendthetokensorscriponeligibleproductswithvendorsatthemarket.Vendorsacceptthetokensorpaperscripforeligibleproductsjustliketheywouldacceptcash,exceptthattheycannotprovidecashchange.Thevendorsturnthetokensorpaperscripintothemarketmanagerorbookkeeper,usuallyonadailyorweeklybasis,andarereimbursedaccordingtoapredeterminedschedule.ThemarketreimbursesvendorswithfederalfundsobtainedthroughtheSNAPBridgecardtransactionsmadethroughthePOSD.Underthissystem,themarketmustprovidethetokensorpaperscripthatwillbeused.

Tokens

Tokensarecommonlymadeoutofwood,brassorplasticandcanbeorderedonlinefromavarietyofcompaniesthatmakepromotionalgiveawayitems.Ifyouwouldlikearecommendationforwheretopurchasetokens,youcancontactMIFMA.Woodentokensarelessexpensivethanmetalcoinsbutmustbecountedbyhand.Metalorbrasscoinsareconsiderablymoreexpensivebutlastlongerandcanbecountedusingacoincounter.

Carefulconsiderationshouldbegiventothedesignoftokens.Tokensshouldbeunique,appealing,easilyrecognizable,andinstructional.Tokensshouldshowthenameofyourfarmersmarket,themarket’slogo(ifoneexists),andthephrases“EligibleFoodItemsOnly”and“NoChangeGiven”.AsmoreandmorefarmersmarketsacceptSNAP,youshouldbesuretoconsiderthedesignoftokensofnearbyfarmersmarketstoensurethatyourtokenscanbeeasilydistinguishedfromothertokenscirculatinginyourarea.FNSdoesnotrequirethattokensbeserialized,asthatfeatureoftendoublesthecostofpurchasingthetokens.However,serializationisencouraged,sinceithelpsprotectthemarketfromfraud.Becausethetokensareusuallyclosetothesamesizeanddiameterasapokerchip,manymarketsfindithelpfultousepokerchipcountingtubesandstoragedevicestoorganizetheirtokens.

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Paper Scrip

Asanalternativetothebulkyandsometimesexpensivetokensystem,youcandesignandprintyourownpaperscrip.Marketsfindithelpfultouseperforatedbusinesscardtemplatestomakeprintingandseparatingscripeasy.Scripshouldbeeitherserializedtodeterduplicationand/orprintedonpaperormediumthatisnotcapableofbeingphotocopied.Marketsalsofindthatlaminatingthescripcanhelpdeterduplicationandextendthelongevityofthepaperscrip.

Differentiating Currencies and Providing Change

Ifyourmarketacceptsanumberofdifferentpaymenttypes,suchascreditcardsandSNAP,adifferenttokenorpaperscripsystemisnecessaryforeachone,andthevariousformsofcurrencymustbedistinguishablefromeachother.Onewaytodistinguishcurrenciesistomaketokensorpaperscripdifferentcolorsorsizesfordifferenttypesofpayment.Forexample,paperscripforcreditcardpurchasescouldbegreen,whilescripforSNAPcouldbeblue.Color-codingenableseasyrecognitionofvariouspaymenttypes,especiallyduringbusymarkethours.

Thedistinctionamongcurrenciesisimportantbecausedifferentformsofcurrencycanbeusedtopurchasedifferentitemsandaresubjecttodifferentruleswhenitcomestoprovidingchange.Cash,forexample,canbegivenaschangeforcreditcardpurchasesbutnotforSNAPpurchases.Toavoidgivingchange,itisbesttoencourageSNAPcustomerstobuyinevendollaramountsandtoaskvendorstoworkwithcustomerstoadjustthequantityofitemsbeingpurchasedsothatthepriceisinawholedollaramount.

Crediting Unspent SNAP Tokens or Scrip

IfaSNAPcustomerdoesnotspendtheentirevalueofthescriportokenspurchasedthatday,thecustomerislegallyentitledtoreturnthetokenstothemarketandaskthattheunspentSNAPbenefitsbecreditedbacktohis/heraccount.ThemarketmustbewillingtocreditunspentSNAPbenefitsbacktothecustomer’sSNAPBridgecard.Pleasenote:UnspentSNAPbenefitsmayonlybecreditedbacktothecustomer’sSNAPaccountbeforethePOSDisbatchedoutattheendoftheday.Yourmarketisnotobligatedtoextendthatsameservicetocreditanddebitcustomers.Mostofthetime,however,SNAPcustomersretainthetokensandspendthematthemarketthenextweek.

Keeping Currency Safe

Tokensandpaperscripareanalternativetocashatafarmersmarket.Justlikecash,theseformsofcurrencyneedtobemanagedcarefully.Thispointmustbeemphasizedbecausethetokensorscriplooklike“playmoney.”TheyareREALMONEYandmustbetreatedlikeU.S.currency–watchedover,guarded,andlockedupwhenappropriate.

Whendesigningtokensandpaperscrip,makesurethattheycannotbeeasilyduplicatedandthatscripisprintedonpaperoramediumthatisnotcapableofbeingphotocopied.PlacingsequentialserialnumbersonallpaperscriportokensisrecommendedbyFNStohelppreventfraudandensurethatthemarketandvendorsareproperlyreimbursed.Youmayalsowanttoincorporatesidewaysorupsidedownlettersorsymbolsintoyourdesignastheyarenoteasilyreplicated.

ItisnecessarytofindasecureplacetostorethePOSD,tokensorscrip,andsupplieswhennotinuseandtoidentifyapersonwhoisresponsiblefortheirproperstorage.Keeptokensorpaperscripsecuredinacashbox,storageboxorsafe.Donotleavetokensorpaperscripunattended.Ensurethateveryvendoratyourmarketisawareofandfollowstheproceduresforhandlingandredeemingcurrency.

Outstanding or Unredeemed Tokens or Paper Scrip

Onethingyouneedtobeawareofwhenusinganalternativeredemptionsystemisthephenomenonofoutstandingorunredeemedtokensorscrip.Tokensareunredeemedwhentheyhavebeenpurchasedbycustomersbutnot(yet)turnedintothemarketforredemptionbyanyvendors.

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Forexample,ifyourmarketsold$100worthofSNAPBridgecardtokensinaday,butyourvendorsturnedinonly$80worthofSNAPBridgecardtokensattheendofthatmarketday,thereare$20worthofunredeemedtokenscirculatingsomewhere“outthere.”Theymaybeinthepocketsandpursesofyourcustomers,waitingtobespentinthecomingweeks.Ortheymayhavebeenspentbythecustomersbutarenowinthecashboxesofyourvendors,whoarewaitingtoturntheminnextweek,nextmonthoratsomelaterdateinthefuture.Or,thetokensmaybelostandwillnevershowupagain.

Inthemeanwhile,however,that$20isgoingtobedepositedintothemarket’sbankaccountandthereforewillbecomea$20liabilitytothemarket.By“liability,”wemeanthatyourmarkethasreceivedandnowpossessesfundsthatitowestosomeoneelse.

FNSdoesnotcurrentlyhaveapolicythatdescribeshowmarketsshouldhandleoutstandingtokensorpaperscrip.Howtohandleoutstanding/unredeemedtokensorscripisthereforeadecisionyouandyourorganizationwillneed

tomake.USDAFNSdoesstatethatamarketisallowedtomovefundsfromunredeemedtokensintotheiroperatingbudgetaftera“reasonableamountoftime.”

Onewaytoreducethenumberofoutstandingtokensorscripistoprintanexpirationdateonthem.Withoutanexpirationdate,amarketcannotpreventcustomersfromredeemingtokensorscripthatwereobtainedaweek,amonth,orevenayearormoreago.Afterthetokenshaveexpired,itisacceptabletorollthevalueoftheunredeemedcurrencyintoyouroperatingbudget.Thisapproachcanbecostly,sinceyoumustreprinttokensorscripaftereveryexpirationdate.

Ifyoudecideagainstanexpirationdate,thenpreventionisthebeststrategy.Makesureyoueducateyourcustomers.Tellthemthatiftheydonotusealloftheirtokensorscrip,theycanreturnitthatdaytobecreditedbacktotheirSNAPaccount,ortheycanuseitatthenextmarketday.Makethetokenseye-catchingandlargeenoughtograbyourcustomers’attentionsothattheydon’tgetlostinalargepurseorbabybag.Also,emphasizetoyourvendorshowimportantitisforthemtosubmitallofthecurrencytheyreceiveforreimbursement,eveniftheyonlycollectafewdollars.Remindthemthateverydollarcountsinanaccountingledger!Clearcommunicationandathrivingmarketplacecanhelpreducetheamountofoutstandingcurrency.

A Receipt System

Thesecondoptionforanalternativeredemptionsystemusespaperreceipts.Inareceiptsystem,customersreceiveareceiptfromeachvendoraftertheyselecttheproductstheywanttopurchase.Customersleavetheitemsatthevendors’standsandbringthereceipt(s)tothecentralPOSDtopayfortheiritemswiththeirSNAPBridgecard.CustomersreceiveareceiptfromthestaffpersonorvolunteerwhoconductstheSNAPBridgecardtransactionandthenreturntothefarmer/vendorwiththispaidreceipttopickuptheirpurchases.Astaffpersonorvolunteerkeepstrackofthereceipts.VendorsarereimbursedonapredeterminedschedulebytheresponsiblepartyusingthefederalfundsobtainedfromtheSNAPBridgecardtransaction.

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Insomemarketsthathavetriedthissystem,bothvendorsandcustomersfoundthesystemtobecumbersomeandmoretime-consumingthanthetokenorscripmodel.VendorshavealsocomplainedthatholdingSNAPpurchasesforcustomerstakesupvaluablespacethattheycanusetodisplaysaleableproducts.SNAPcustomerscanalsofeelthatthissystemsinglesthemoutamongstothershoppersinthemarketandcancontributetoafeelingofbeingstigmatizedforutilizingthisformoffederalfoodassistance.

However,inothermarkets,thissystemthrives.Theadvantagesofthereceiptsystemoverthetokenorscripsystemaretwo-fold:1)thecomprehensivepapertrailitgenerates,whichallowsyoutotrackSNAPpurchaseswithinthemarket;and2)theeliminationoftheriskofoutstandingtokensorscrip.CustomersusingSNAPbenefitsarechargedimmediatelyanddirectlyfortheexacttotaloftheirpurchase(s).

Cash Assistance on a Bridge Card

Occasionally,EBTaccountsmayalsocontainnon-SNAPcashassistancebenefitsthatareissuedtoclientstoassistwithothertypesofexpensesbesidesfood,suchasutilitiesandrent.Thesearenotfoodbenefits;instead,theyarefinancialassistanceissuedunderoneofthefollowingthreeprograms:1)theFamilyIndependenceProgram,2)theRefugeeAssistanceProgram,or3)StateDisabilityAssistance.Purchasesmadewiththisformoffinancialassistancefollowthesamerulesasaregularbankdebitcard.Thesepurchasesarenotrestrictedtofooditems,andcashchangecanbegiven.

IfyourmarketacceptsonlySNAPbenefitsandnotdebitand/orcreditcards,werecommendthatyoudonotacceptthesecashassistancebenefitsinordertoavoidconfusionatyourmarket.Instead,encouragecustomerstousetheirSNAPbenefitsatyourmarketforfoodpurchasesandtoaccessthecashassistancebenefitsontheirEBTcardatanotherlocation.

Ifyourmarketacceptsdebitand/orcreditcards,aswellasSNAPbenefits,thencashbenefitsonacustomer’sEBTcardcanbeexchangedforthesametokensthatyoudistributetocustomersusingdebitorcreditcards,andsuchpurchasesshouldberecordedinthesamemanner.Remember–changecanbegivenforcashassistancebenefittransactions,andtheyarenotlimitedtofoodpurchases,whichiswhyitisimportanttodistinguishthemfromSNAPtransactions.

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Step 5: Covering the Implementation Costs of Your Farmers Market’s SNAP ProgramFundingisoneofthemostimportantconcernsaboutimplementinganynewprogram.Yourmarket’sbusinessplan,missionandopportunitiesforoutsidesupportwilldictatehowyourmarketdecidestofundthisinitiative.ThissectiondescribespossiblefundingsourcesfortheSNAPprogramatyourfarmersmarketbeyondjustrollingtheexpensesintothemarket’soperatingbudget.

Customer Support: Credit/Debit Fee for Service

Ifyourfarmersmarketacceptscreditanddebitcardsthroughanalternativeredemptionsystem,customerscanhelppayforthisserviceandhelpunderwritethecostofadministeringtheSNAPredemptionprogram.Howdoesthiswork?Youcanchargeasmallfeefortheuseofthemarket’stokensorpaperscrip,thusreceivingasmallamountofmoneyeverytimeacreditordebittransactionisconducted.Marketsthathaveemployedthisstrategytypicallycharge$1or$2pertransactionandreportrecoupingasmuchas50%oftheiradministrativecosts.

Customersacknowledgethatyouareprovidingthemwithaservicebyagreeingtothisformofpaymentandtypicallyhavenoproblemsupportingthemarketwiththissmallfee,especiallysincethefeeislowerthanthatchargedbymostATMmachines.Whetheryoucallita“TokenRentalFee”orsimplyaskforadonation,askingcreditanddebitcustomerstohelpfinancetheprogramisaviableoption.

Keepinmindthatthisservicefeecanonlyberequestedfromcreditordebitcardusers.TheFNScontractthatauthorizesyoutoacceptSNAPbenefitsexplicitlystatesthatyouCANNOTchargeSNAPcustomersafeefortheirtransactions.Also,makesureyouareclearthatthefeeyouarechargingisfortheuseofyourtokensorpaperscripbecauseitisnotacceptableforyoutochargeacustomerfortheuseoftheircreditordebitcard.

Vendor Support: Percentage of Sales

AnotherwaytofundthecostsofyourSNAP/credit/debitprogramisbysharingthosecostswiththevendorswhoarebenefitingfromtheadditionalsalescreatedbytheprogram.Asanalternativetoincreasingstallrentalfees,youcanchargevendorsapercentageoftheirsalestocoverthemarket’sinvestmentinthisprocess.Beingclearandtransparentwithyourvendorsregardingtheexpensesyourmarketincurstooperatetheprogramandwhyyouareaskingthemtohelpsupportitisparamounttomakingthesystemwork.

MarketsinMichiganthatareusingthisstrategyarechargingvendorsbetween2and5%torecuperateadministrativecosts.Forexample,ifavendorsubmits$20intokensattheendofthemarketday,themarketcouldclaima5%administrativefeeandreimbursethevendor$19insteadofthefullamount.

Value of Total Token Sales* – 5% Administrative Fee = Reimbursement to Vendors

$20 - ($20 x 0.05) = $19

* Token sales can be from credit, debit, SNAP and/or incentive program transactions.

“We would never have been able to start accepting SNAP without MIFMA’s leadership

and guidance. Having a statewide organization

with so much passion and experience advocating

for farmers markets and helping them to navigate this process is absolutely

invaluable!” – Emily Beutel, Texas

Township Farmers’ Market

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Askingvendorstosharethecostshelpsemphasizethevalueoftheserviceyouareprovidingandchargesvendorsinproportiontotheamounttheybenefitfromtheprogram.Ifavendorisn’texperiencinganincreaseinsales,theywon’tbedisadvantagedbythispolicy.Remember,youcannotchargeSNAPcustomers,butyoucancollectfeesfromthevendorsfortheirSNAPsales.

Financial and In-kind Contributions from Community Partners

Communitypartnersmaybeinterestedinprovidingfinancialsupportforafoodassistanceprogramatyourfarmersmarket,ortheymayhaveaccesstopeopleorresourcesthatcouldassistwiththeimplementationofyourprogram.

Asyoureachouttocommunitypartners,lookforpartnersthatshareyourgoals.Communicatetheobjectivesofyourprogramanditsintendedpurposes.Tellthemhowtheprogramwillimprovefoodaccessandfoodsecurityandhowitwillaffectthehealthofyourcommunitybyincreasingtheconsumptionoffruitandvegetables,whichcaninturndecreasetheprevalenceofchronicdiseases.Therearelikelytobeorganizationsthatwillwanttosupportyourprogrambecauseitbenefitsyourcommunity.

PossiblecommunitypartnersincludeChambersofCommerce,civicinvolvementorganizations,foodbanksandhungerreliefagencies,serviceorganizations,foodcooperatives,churchesandlocalclubs,amongothers.Inadditiontofinancialcontributions,communitypartnersmayalsobewillingtorecruitvolunteerstohelpfacilitatetheprogramandassistyouwithoutreachtoconsumersinyourcommunity.

Roles for Partnering Organizations

TherearemanywaysinwhichpartneringorganizationscansupportafarmersmarketthathasbecomeauthorizedtoacceptSNAPbenefits.Partneringorganizationscanassistinoneormoreofthefollowingways:

• ByhelpingtoinformSNAPclientsthatthemarketnowacceptsSNAPbenefits

• Byprovidingstaffand/orhelpingthemarketrecruitandtrainvolunteersthatcanmanageSNAPtransactionsatthemarketand/orthevendorreimbursementprocess

• ByofferingthemarketfinancialsupporttooffsetthecostsassociatedwithacceptingSNAPbenefits

Grant Funding

Anothersourceoffinancialsupporttoconsideriscompetitivegrants.Developinglocalfoodsystemsandincreasingfoodaccessareimportantareasofworkthatmanygovernmentagenciesandfoundationsareinterestedinsupporting.

Keepinmindthatgrantsarecompetitiveandthatittakestimeandexpertisetodraftawell-writtengrantproposal.Askforhelpfromexperiencedgrantwriters,andgatherlettersofsupportfromyourcommunitypartnerstostrengthenyourproposal.Don’twaituntilthelastminutetobegindraftingtheproposal.Startresearchinganddraftingtheproposalfarenoughinadvancetoallowsomeonesufficienttimetoreviewthefinaldraftbeforesubmission.Also,makesureyouprovideallthesupportingdocumentsrequestedwithyourproposal.Youdon’twantyourapplicationtoberejectedbecauseyouforgotaseeminglyinsignificantpieceofpaper!

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RecordkeepingRecordkeepingisvitaltothesuccessofyourmarketanditsSNAPprogram.Keepinggoodfinancialrecordswillenableaccurateandpromptreimbursementtovendorsandcanhelpreducestress.IntheeventthatFNSweretoaudityourmarket,theserecordscandemonstratethattheprogramisproperlyrun.

Marketsmustmaintainthefollowingrecordsforeachdayofmarketoperations:

• ThenumberofSNAPtransactions

• ThetotaldollaramountofSNAPtransactions

• Thenumberofscriportokensdistributedtocustomers

• Thenumberofscriportokensredeemedbyeachvendor

• Whenandforhowmucheachvendorisreimbursed

Thisinformationshouldberecordedforthemarketasawhole.Maintainingarecordofthesefiguresallowsthemarkettodeterminethevalueofoutstandingtokensorpaperscrip.Thisinformationisvitalforthemarkettomonitor,asyouarefinanciallyresponsibleforthecurrencyincirculation.

Inaddition,youneedarecordofthenumberoftokensorpaperscripacceptedbyeachindividualvendor.Youoryourmarket’sbookkeepermustkeeprecordstoensurethatvendorsareproperlyreimbursedfortheirsales.Bothvendorsandthemarketshouldcountthenumberoftokensorscripcollectedandcalculatethetotalamountofsales.Youmaychoosetoaggregatefiguresintoweekly,biweeklyormonthlyreports.Somevendorsprefertokeepalternativecurrencyuntiltheyhaveenoughtomakeitworthturningintothemarket.Yourmarketwillneedtodecidewhetherthispracticewillbeallowed.

Ifyourmarketacceptsmultipleformsofpayment(SNAPandcreditordebit),itisimportanttokeeptrackofeachdifferenttypeofpaymentseparately.Thisapproachallowsyouandthevendorsthatsellatyourmarkettotrackeachpaymenttypeseparately.

Incontrasttorequiredfinancialrecordkeeping,otherinformationisoptionaltorecord.Forexample,trackingthenumberoffirst-timeSNAPusersatyourmarketisavaluablerecordtomaintain,thoughitisnotrequired.Withthisinformation,youcandeterminehowmanynewSNAPcustomersthemarketisattractingandcompareittothenumberofreturnSNAPcustomerstoseeiftheprogramisbringingnewcustomerstoyourmarketorservingloyalreturncustomers.

Somemarketsalsorecordotherinformation,suchastheweatheronmarketdays,thenumberofvisitorstothemarket,thenumberofvolunteersandhourstheydonate,andvisitingorganizationsanddisplays.Whenmarketshavespecialfestivalsorevents,recordsandpicturescanbekeptaboutthoseoccasions.Somemarketsalsokeepcompletelistsofthetypeofproductsbroughttothemarketinordertoensureagoodvarietyofproductsforcustomers.

Maintaining and Improving Your SNAP Program

“The more produce options, the more sales we have.

Also, not everyone is educated on how to cook

the produce or use it, and so if you can explain to them

how to use the different products, they are more likely to buy more and

return for more.” - Mercedies Angus,

Springfield Farmers Market

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Whilethistypeofinformationcanbeuseful,youshouldweightheimportanceoftheinformationcollectedagainsttheamountofstafforvolunteertimeandenergyrequiredtorecordsuchdata.Howextensiveyourrecordkeepingisshouldmatchtheneedsandresourcesofyourindividualmarket.

Ifyourmarketoperatesbytheindividualvendoradministrativemodel,therewillbelessrecordkeepingthatthemarketneedstodo.Instead,theresponsibilitywillfallonindividualvendors.

Recordkeepingisalsoimportanttoourabilitytosharetheimpactoffarmersmarketsthatacceptfoodassistancebenefits.Eachyear,MIFMAfacilitatesastatewidesurveyofallofthefarmersmarketsthatacceptSNAPbenefitstocombinetheinformationandshareitwithabroadaudience.Youcanfindtheseannualreportsonlineatwww.mifma.org/reports.Sharingtherecordsyoukeepisonewaytodemonstratetheimpactyourmarketmakesonthelocalcommunityandallowsyoutobuildpartnershipsandsupportforyourmarketinthefuture.

Working with VendorsVendorsarecriticaltothesuccessofafarmersmarket.Vendorsarealsokeypartnersinrunningafoodassistanceprogram.Assuch,clearandfrequentcommunicationwithyourvendorsabouttheprogramisvitaltoitssuccess.

Beforeyouimplementafoodassistanceprogram,youshouldcommunicatewithvendorsthegoalsoftheprogram,whythemarketisparticipating,andthepotentialfortheprogramtoincreasetheirsales.

Somemarketsfindthatvendorsareinitiallyhesitanttoparticipateintheprogrambecauseofthedelayinreceivingpayments.Theseconcernscanoftenbeeasedwithclearexplanationsofhowtheprogramwillwork,exactlywhenreimbursementcheckswillbeissued,andinformationaboutitspotentialforimprovingtheirbottomline.

Ifvendorconcernscontinuetobestrong,vendorparticipationisvoluntary.Vendorsthatdodecidetoparticipatecandemonstratetheadvantagesoftheprogram.Vendorinterestcanalsobeencouragedbyaskingthemtotakepartintheplanningandorganizationoftheprogram.

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Oncetheprogramhasbegun,participatingvendorsneedtoknow:

• Whatthemarketexpectsofthem,including:

• Whatcurrencytheycanacceptandforwhichitems,aswellaswhatthecurrencylookslike

• Whenchangecanbegivenfortokensandscripandwhenitcannot

• Howtotraintheiremployeessothatthey,too,understandtheprogram

• Whatsignsshouldbedisplayedattheirbooth

• Whentheyshouldturnincollectedtokensorscrip

• Whattheycanexpectfromthemarket,including:

• Howoftentheywillbereimbursed

• Howthemoneywillbedispersedtothem

• Whotheycanapproachwithquestionsabouttheprogram

Werecommendthatyoucommunicatethisinformationinmultipleformats,assomepeopleretaininformationbetterthattheyhear,whileotherslearnbetterbyreading.Forexample,offeranin-persontrainingsessionforallvendorsandtheiremployeesinwhichtheinformationispresentedorallyandprovidedonhandoutsthattheycanreviewlater.Wealsorecommendthatyoucreateaone-page“cheatsheet”forvendorstouseattheirboothsthatincludesimportantprograminformationinaneasy-to-accessformat(probablylaminated).

Obtaining Signed Agreements with Your Vendors

Aspartofthecommunicationprocess,itisimportanttorequirethatvendorsacknowledgeinwritingtheirresponsibilitiestotheprogramanditsadministrator.AsaFNSauthorizedretailer,themarkethasmadeacommitmenttothefederalgovernmentforwhichyouareresponsible.Assuch,theprogrammustbeimplementedaccordingtofederalrulesandregulations.

Itisyourresponsibilitytomakesurevendorswhoareinvolvedintheprogram(andtheiremployees)knowtherulesandregulationsthatapplytothemandagreetoabidebythem.Vendorsneedtosignanagreementthatstatestheyhavebeentrained,thattheyknowandunderstandtherules,andtheyagreetoabidebythem.ContactMIFMAforanexampleofavendoragreementyoucanuse.

“We make sure our farmers are completely

aware of all of the programs and the

differences of them. They are the best advertisers of this program because it benefits them directly.”

- Nick Viox, Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers

Market

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Working with VolunteersVolunteerscanbeanimportantpartofanymarket,especiallysincestafftimeisoftenlimited.AcceptingSNAPatafarmersmarketcanbeatime-consumingtaskduringtheinitialplanningstages,aswellasintheday-to-dayoperationsoftheprogram.Forthisreason,volunteerscanplayanimportantroleinthemarket’sprogramanditssuccess.

WhenacentrallyoperatedPOSDisusedtoacceptSNAPbenefits,someonemustalwaysbeavailabletorunthePOSDandissuethealternativecurrency.Ifyourmarketdoesn’thaveapersononstaffwhocandothisjobandyoucannothiresomeone,findingavolunteertofillthispositionbecomesimportant.VolunteerscanalsohelpwithmarketoutreachtopromotetheSNAPprogram.

Recruitingandretainingreliablevolunteerscanbeadifficulttask;therefore,properplanningandpreparationsarenecessary.Below,weprovidesuggestionsthatpertainspecificallytohowvolunteerscansupportSNAPredemptionprograms.

Training Volunteers

ItisimportantthatvolunteerswhoareresponsibleforrunningthePOSDunderstand,indetail,thestepsthatmustbetakentocompleteasuccessfultransaction.Thisprotocolincludestheorderinwhichtheymustoccur.VolunteersneedtoknowhowtouseandtroubleshootthePOSDandbeawareofanypertinentinformationtheymustcollect.

Moretrainingisrequiredifthevolunteerisalsoinchargeofbookkeepingandgatheringredeemedtokensorpaperscripfromvendors.TheExampleofVolunteerDutiesandResponsibilitiesfigureprovidesachartofthetasksforwhichvolunteersmightberesponsibleandcanserveasanexampleofaguidethatcouldbeusedforvolunteertraining.Youshouldadjustthecharttoreflecttheactualresponsibilitiesofthevolunteerandanyproceduraldifferencesinyourmarket.Duringtraining,giveeachvolunteerplentyofopportunitiestoperformhisorhertaskswhileundersupervision.Thisapproachhelpsthevolunteerfeelcomfortablewiththetasksandensuresthatthetrainerisconfidentthatthevolunteercanperformthetaskscorrectly.

ItislikelythatatsometimeproblemswiththePOSDwillarise,oracustomerwillposeaquestionthatavolunteerwillbeunabletoanswer,especiallyearlyinhisorhertimeatthemarket.Makesurevolunteersknowwhomtheyshouldspeaktowhenthisoccurs.

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Before the Market Begins

1. Makesureyouhaveallofthesuppliesyouneedincludingyourlogsheets,apen,tokensorscrip,POSD(s),table,signage,andareceiptbooklet.

2. Beforecustomersstarttoarrive,getsetupbyassemblingyourtableandhanginganybannersorsigns.

3. Next,hookupand/orturnonthePOSD(s).Thismayinvolvepluggingthedevicesintoapowersourceiftheyarehardwiredandmayrequireanextensioncordand/orpowerstrip.IfyourPOSD(s)arehardwired,youalsoneedtoconnectthemtoaphoneline.IfyouhavetwoPOSDs(oneforprocessingSNAPandoneforcredit/debit)youcanrouteoneofthePOSDstotheotherPOSDusingashortlengthofphoneline.Thisiscalled“piggybacking.”

4. TurnonthePOSD(s)andawaityourfirstcustomer.Interactwiththosepassingbywhileyouwait.ExplaintothosethataskorseemcuriousthatyourmarketnowacceptsSNAPBridgecardsandcredit/debitcards.

During the Market

1. POSDsareveryeasytouse.Itisimportantnottobeintimidatedbythemandtocontinuetointeractwithyourcustomerwhileusingthemachine.

2. Swipethecardorpunchinthecardnumberbychoosingthemanualentryoption(themagneticstripisoftenfaultyonSNAPBridgecards,butthatdoesNOTmeanthatclientsdonothavesufficientfunds).

3. Themachinewillpromptyoutohavecustomersdecidehowmuchtheywanttospend.Explainthatyoucandothisonlyinone-dollarincrementsandthattheycannotreceivechangeback,althoughtheycansaveleftovertokensorscripforanothermarketday.ThecustomerthenmustenterhisorherPIN.

4. WhilethePOSDisprocessing,askthecustomerthenecessaryquestionsforyourlog(i.e.,name,zipcode,first-timeuser,etc.).

5. Dispersetokensorscriptothecustomer.Savethemerchantcopyofthereceiptforyourrecordsandgivethecustomertheircopyofthereceipt.

After the Market has Closed

1. Usethe“batch”featureofyourPOSDtogetaprint-outoftheday’stransactions.Youcancheckyourhand-writtenlogsheetsagainstthisaccumulativereceipttoconfirmthetotalcustomersalesfortheday.

2. Duringmarkettear-down,interactwitheachvendorsothatyoucanrecordonalogsheethowmanySNAPandcredit/debittokensorscriptheyaresubmittingforreimbursement.Onceyouhaveatotalsaleamount,writeeachvendorareceiptandexplaintohimorherwhentheycanexpecttobereimbursed.

3. Gatherandsorttokensorscriptoorganizethemforthenextmarket.

4. Packupallyoursuppliessotheyarereadytogoforthenextmarket.

5. Storemarketsuppliesinasafeandsecureplace.

Example Volunteer Duties or Responsibilities

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SNAP Promotion and Outreach GrowthofSNAPredemptionprogramsatfarmersmarketsishighlydependentonconsumerawarenessoftheprogram.ManySNAPusersarenotawarethattheycanusetheirbenefitstoshopatfarmersmarkets.ThefollowingsectionprovidesideastohelpyoudooneofthemostimportantthingsafarmersmarketwithaSNAPprogramcando–growrelationships.Youalreadyknowhowimportantitistomaintainrelationshipsandopenlinesofcommunicationswithyourvendorsandcustomers.Itisequallyimportanttomaintaincommunicationwithcommunitypartnersandyourregion’smedia,includingnewspaperreporters,televisionreportersandradiopersonalities.

Tomakethebestuseofyourresources,concentrateyouroutreachandadvertisingonareaswheretherearelargenumbersofSNAPusers.ItisalsoimportanttorecognizethatSNAPuserslivethroughoutourcommunityandaremobile.That’swhythefollowingoutreachmethodsshouldbedesignedtoreachSNAPclientsandtoalsospreadbroadawarenessofthemarketanditsprogramstoallarearesidents.OnceSNAPuserslearnabouttheprogramatthemarketandhavegoodexperiences,wordofmouthcanbecomeapowerfultoolforincreasingawarenessabouttheprogram.

Printed Outreach Materials

Outreachmaterialslikeflyers,postersanddoorhangersaregreatwaystodrawcustomersandnewvendorstoyourfarmersmarket.Itisimportantwhendesigningthesematerialstoconsiderthefollowing:

• Alloutreachmaterialsshouldincludethelocation,operatingdatesandtimesofthemarket.

• Thelanguageusedshouldbesimpleandeasytounderstand.Ifsomeoneonlyglancesatthesign,theyshouldbeabletopickouttheimportantinformationeasily.

• Usecolor,picturesoruniquedesignstograbthereaders’attention,butdonotmaketheflyertoobusy.AgreatwaytocatchSNAPusers’attentionistoinclude a picture of the SNAP Bridge card.Thisimageisuniversallyrecognizedbythepopulationyouaretryingtotargetandwillalsobeeasilyrecognizedbythosewhomighthavetroublereading.

• Considerthepotentialcustomersyouwouldliketoreach.Aretherepopulationswithinthetargetedcommunitythatspeakanotherlanguage?Ifso,considerprintingbilingualflyersormultipleversionsoftheflyerindifferentlanguages.Besuretoconsultsomeonefluentinthelanguage(s)toensurepropertranslationandgrammar.

Consider reaching out to families with children. More than 50% of individuals receiving SNAP benefits are children. Involving children in the farmers market promotes a festive, community atmosphere.

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Whendesigningpromotionalmaterialssuchassigns,postersandflyers,itisalsoimportanttokeepinmindthepurposeofandintendedaudienceforeachitem.Therearethreetypesofmaterialstoconsider:internalmarketmaterials,vendormaterialsandexternalmarketmaterials.

Internalmarketmaterialsaredesignedforuseduringmarketoperationsatyourmarketlocation.ThesematerialsgiveshoppersinstructionsabouthowtousetheirSNAPbenefitstopurchasetokensorscrip.Posterscanbedisplayedatvariouslocationsthroughoutthemarket,includingentrancesandatthemarketbankorwhereverthecentralPOSDislocated.Youcanalsousesandwichboardsigns,whichareinexpensive,easytosetupandreusable.

VendormaterialsaredesignedtoattractandinformcustomersthataparticularvendoracceptsSNAPbenefits.DistributethemtovendorswhoacceptSNAPtokensorscripandaskthemtohangtheminvisiblelocationsattheirbooths.TheseposterssignaltocustomersthattheycanpurchaseproductsattheseboothsusingtheirSNAPbenefits.TheyareanothergreatwaytogiveinstructionsonhowtouseSNAPBridgecardsforthepurchaseoftokensorscrip.YoucanalsomakeSNAPbuttonsforvendorstowear.

Thelasttypeofsignageisdesignedforlocationsoutsideofyourmarket.ExternalmarketmaterialsletpotentialcustomersknowthatyourmarketacceptsSNAPandthehoursandlocationofthemarket,alongwithanyotherimportantinformation.Askbusinessesinthesurroundingareaiftheyarewillingtopostthemforyou.Informthemthatmanymarketshoppersoftenstayintheareaandcontinueshoppingaftertheyaredoneatthemarketandthatthiscouldbebeneficialtobusinessesinthemarket’sarea.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Supported by the Michigan Farmers Market Associationwww.mifma.org

Welcome Here

The fruits and vegetables at your farmers market are fresher and healthier!

Buying fruits and vegetables that are in season can help you save money.

A farmers market provides a great variety of produce, baked goods, meats and more local products to choose from.

You can meet your local farmers and learn about how your food was grown.

Farmers markets are a great place for the whole family to visit together! When children go to the market and help pick out fruits and vegetables they are more likely to eat them at home.

A farmers market is a great place to try something new! You can select and learn about something you’ve never tried before.

You can learn about new ways to select, store and prepare fresh fruits and vegetables.

Dollars spent at the market support your local economy and area farmers.

It’s a great way to connect with your neighbors and your community.

Farmers Markets are just plain fun!

Top 10 Reasons to Shop at the Farmers Market with Your Bridge Card:

Find a full list of farmers markets

that accept Bridge Cards at www.mifma.org

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6

789

10

This publication is based on work supported by the Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP) Grant Program, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, under Award No. 12-25-G-0945

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Postersandflyerscouldalsobepostedinplacesthatarelikelytobevisitedbyfoodassistanceclients.

Someexamplesinclude:

• Women,Infants,andChildren(WIC)clinics

• Publicaidoffices• Publichealthcenters/clinics• MichiganStateUniversityExtension

offices• Health/nutritionfairs• Bus/railvehicles,stopsandstations• Shoppingcenters• Placesofworship• Foodbanks,pantriesandsoupkitchens• Schools• Childcarecenters• Libraries• Community/civiccenters• Publichousingandapartmentcomplexes• Seniorcitizenhousing• YMCAsandBoys&GirlsClubofAmerica• Recreationfacilities(athleticfields,public

swimmingpools,beaches)• Laundromats• Thriftshops• Campgroundsandmotels• Touristinformationcenters

Asidefromflyersandposters,otherprintedoutreachmaterialsincludebannersandpostcardsorotheritemsfordirectmailings.Withappropriatezoningapproval,vinylbannerscanbeattachedtobuildingsorfences,orstrungbetweenpostsoveramainstreetornearthemarket.Usearoadsidetrailertopostasign,highwaysignspostedonroadsleadingintotown,orgetincludedonmunicipaltownsignageattheedgeoftown.FindinformationregardingsignsontheMichiganDepartmentofTransportationWebsite(www.michigan.gov/mdot).Otherideasincludebillboardsandotherpaidsignage,suchasbusandrailadsorhavingafarmersmarketfloatinatownparade.

Postcardsareanotherformofadvertisingthatcanhavemultipleuses.Postcardscanbemailedtocustomersorcanbegivenoutatmarketregisters.

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Interacting with the MediaItisimportantthatyourmarketdevelopsgoodrelationshipswithindividualswhoworkinthelocalmedia.Coveragefromlocalmediaprovidesanopportunitytoreachlargeaudienceswithoutspendingmuch,ifany,moneyonadvertising.NewsreleasesandPublicServiceAnnouncements(PSAs)aregreatwaystoletpeopleknowyourmarketnowacceptsSNAPbenefits.Inorderforanewsreleasetohaveanimpact,itmustcontaininformationthatisnewsworthy,suchasyourmarketnowacceptsSNAPbenefits.ThemostimportantthingtorememberwhensendingoremailinganewsreleaseorPSAtoalocalmediaoutletisthattheinformationneedstoberelevanttotheoutlet’sreaders,viewers,orlisteners.Peoplewanttoknowwhat’sinitforthemandhowthestoryimpactsthecommunityat-largeandwhatthevalueis.MostradiostationswillrunPSAsatlittletonocost.AskaboutPSAswhenyoumeetwitharadioadvertisingagentorwhenyoucallthestation.

Anotheropportunityforradioortelevision(TV)exposureistohostaremotebroadcast.Remotebroadcastsareoftendonebylocalmediaoutletsineffortstocross-promote(asisoftenthecaseinradio)ortoaidinthetellingofastory(whenaTVreporteris“liveonthescene”).ContactaradioorTVaffiliateinyourareatoassessthelevelofinterestindoingaTVstoryoraradioeventatyourmarket.Somestoryandeventideastoconsider:yourmarkethasstartedacceptingSNAP,nutritioneducationclassesarebeingheldatyourmarket,oranincentiveprogramiscurrentlytakingplaceatthemarketthatincreasescustomers’buyingpowerwhentheyusetheirSNAPbenefits.

Utilizing Social MediaSocialmediacanbeagreat,lowcostwaytoreachyouraudience.PlatformssuchasFacebook,TwitterandInstagramtendtobethemostpopular.Itisnotrecommendedthatyoutrytouseallthreeplatformsifyoudon’thavethecapacityortimetomanageeachofthem.Ifyouwanttostartwithjustone,useFacebook(www.facebook.com)andconsider“boosting”yourposts.Whenyou“boost”apost,youpayasmallamounttopromotethesepostsandmakesuretheyareseenbyagreaternumberofFacebookusers.

Whenpostingtoanysocialmediasite,makesureyourpostsareclearandconcise.Donotusejargonoracronyms;spellthingsout,andusetermsthatshopperscanrelatetosuchas“SNAPBridgecards”whenyouarereferringtoSNAP.UsetheSNAPBridgecardimageonsomeofyourpostssothatcustomerscanvisuallyidentifywhatyouarepostingabout.LetcustomersknowwhattheycanpurchasewiththeirSNAPBridgecardbysharingimagesofvendors’produceandtheirSNAPsigns.Thispracticewillhelptocreatefamiliarityandcomfortbetweenthevendor,customerandmarketasawhole.ContinuetobecreativeinusingFacebookandotherformsofsocialmediatopromoteyourmessage.

Reaching out through PartnersDevelopingoutreachpartnersisanothereffectivewaytopromoteyourfarmersmarketanditsfoodassistanceprogram.Usingtheirmultiplenetworks,communitygroupscanshareinformationquicklyandefficientlyandhelpreachabroadaudiencewithyourmessage.Startbyseekingpartnerswithinthelocalcommunitythatprovideprogramsandservicesforlow-incomeindividualsand/orgroupsthatareinvolvedwithfoodsystemwork,suchasfoodpolicycouncils,emergencyfoodorganizations,orcommunitygardengroups.Thesegroupsarelikelytobeopentohelpingpromotetheprogrambecausetheyalreadyworkwiththepopulationsyouwishtoreachorareinterestedinthepositivebenefitsyourmarketandfoodassistanceprogramprovide.Othergroupsthatmaymakegoodpartnersincludeneighborhoodorganizations,parentteacherorganizations,faith-basedorganizations,andpublichousingcouncils.

“I believe that creating an awareness of using

the SNAP card has increased the use of

the Bridge card at the market. I also think that

the unknown of how to use fresh produce in cooking still holds

some people back from purchasing produce at

the farmers market.” - Jill Moyer, Evart Farmers Market

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Askcommunitypartnerstospreadthewordthathealthy,locally-producedfoodsareavailableandcanbepurchasedusingSNAPbenefitsatyourfarmersmarket.Thesegroupscanhelppromoteyourmarket’sfoodassistanceprogrambypassingoutflyers,includinginformationinnewslettersandbywordofmouth.Anotheroptionistoaskifyoucanincludeyourfarmersmarket’sinformationwiththeirdirectmailings.Makesureyouexplaintopotentialpartnerswhyspreadingthemessageisimportantandhowitcanhelpthepeopletheyserve.

Nutrition EducationSNAP-Education (SNAP-Ed)isanutritioneducationprogramdesignedforindividualsusingSNAPbenefits.ThegoalofSNAP-EdistoimprovethelikelihoodthatpersonseligibleforSNAPbenefitswillmakehealthyfoodchoiceswithinalimitedbudgetandchoosephysicallyactivelifestylesconsistentwiththecurrentDietaryGuidelinesforAmericansandMyPlaterecommendations.FundingfortheSNAP-EdprogramcomesfromFNS,whichdistributesmoneytostateagenciesthatsubmitanannualSNAP-Edplan.Thisplanoutlinesthestate’snutritioneducationactivitiesandbudgetforthefollowingyear.Thestatethendistributesthismoneytovariousorganizations,suchascommunityhealthgroupsanduniversityExtensionofficestocarryouttheeducationalactivities.

YourfarmersmarketscancontactlocalgroupsthataretakingpartinSNAP-Edtoseeiftheyareinterestedinworkingwithyourmarkettoprovidenutritioneducationprogramsorinformationtoshoppers.MoreinformationonSNAP-Ed,includingresourcesforhealthydieteducation,areavailablefromtheNationalAgriculturalLibraryFoodandNutritionInformationCenter.OthernutritioneducationresourcesareavailablefromtheCenterforDiseaseControlFruitsandVeggiesMoreMatterscampaignatwww.fruitsandveggiesmatter.govandMyPlatefromtheUSDAatwww.choosemyplate.gov.

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MichiganStateUniversityExtension’sGrowYourKidsprogramalsoincludeslessonplansandlinkstootherresourcesatwww.gyk.fcs.msue.msu.edu,andMichiganTeamNutritionhaseducationalresourcesandlistsofchildren’sbookswithpositivenutritionandphysicalactivitymessagesatwww.michigan.gov/mde.

SNAP Incentive ProgramsIncentiveprogramsareanotherwaytodrawfoodassistancecustomerstothefarmersmarket.Althoughthereareavarietyoffarmersmarketincentiveprogramsacrossthecountry,thebasicpremiseisthesame:whenSNAPuserscometothemarketandusetheirbenefits,theyreceiveadditionalfreefundstouseatthemarket.Incentiveprogramsbenefiteveryone:

• customersobtainadditionalfreshproducewhileusingthesameamountofbenefits

• vendorsseesalesincrease

• themarketdevelopsloyalcustomerswhomakeitahabittoshopthereeveryweek

Fundingforincentiveprogramscancomefromavarietyofsources,includinglocalcommunitygrantingorganizations,nationalnonprofitsandfederalprograms.Incentiveprogramscanbelimitedtoasinglemarketorcanincludeanumberofmarkets.InMichigan,manymarketsparticipateinthestatewideSNAPincentiveprogramcalledDoubleUpFoodBucks.

Double Up Food Bucks

DoubleUpFoodBucksisanincentiveprogramthatallowsSNAPuserstodoubletheamountofmoneytheycanspendonproduceboughtatafarmersmarket.Theprogramisalsoavailableingrocerystoresandotherfruitandvegetableretailers.

Shopperscaneithergetfreetokensworth$2forevery$2ofproductspurchasedusingtheirSNAPBridgecard,ortheycanreceiveelectroniccreditsstoredontheirSNAPBridgecardoraDoubleUpFoodBucksgiftcardwhichtheycanuseatthemarket.Regardlessofhowtheprogramisimplementedatafarmersmarket,ashoppercanearnuptoamaximumof$20permarketday.

DoubleUpFoodBuckscanbeusedtopurchaseonlyMichigan-grownfruitandvegetables.

DoubleUpFoodBucksisaprogramofthenationalnonprofitcalledFairFoodNetworkandhelpsextendSNAPbenefitsforshopperswhilealsohelpingincreasesalesforMichiganfarmers.

TheDoubleUpFoodBucksprogramoperatesacrossthestate.FormoreinformationaboutDoubleUpFoodBucks,visitwww.doubleupfoodbucks.org.

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Evaluating the Success of Your SNAP Program AstheindividualororganizationresponsiblefortheSNAPprogramatyourfarmersmarket,youshouldevaluatehowwelltheprogramisworkingandifitiscreatingtheintendedopportunitiesforcustomers,vendorsandthemarket.

YoucandoabasicevaluationoftheSNAPprogramatyourmarketusingthefinancialrecordsdiscussedinprevioussectionsofthismanual:thenumberofSNAPtransactions,thetotaldollaramountofSNAPtransactions,thenumberoftokensorpaperscripdistributedtocustomers,andthenumberoftokensorpaperscripredeemedbyvendors.Knowingthenumberoffirst-timeSNAPusersatyourmarketcanalsobeverybeneficialinyourevaluation.

Byanalyzingthisdata,youcandetermineifthereareincreasesinthenumberofSNAPtransactionsanddollarvalueofSNAPsalesatthemarketthroughoutthemonthormarketseasonandhowmuchofthesesalesweretonewcustomers.ThisassessmentcanhelpyoudetermineifthemarkethasbeeneffectiveinreachingouttoSNAPusersorifdifferentoutreachandpromotionstrategiesareneeded.

ThedatayoucollectcanhelpdetermineatwhichvendorsSNAPcustomersaremakingthemostpurchasesandthereforewhobenefitsmostfromtheSNAPprogram.Thisinformationcanbeusefulwhenyouaretryingtorecruitnewvendorstothemarket.

SNAPprogramsatfarmersmarketstaketimetogrow.Don’tbediscouragedifthereisnotalargedemandrightaway.Bepatient,andmakesurethattheprogramiswellorganizedandissimpleforcustomerstouse.Awell-runprogramisthebestpromotionyoucanhavebecausewordofmouthisapowerfultool.

Additionalmethodsofevaluationatfarmersmarketscanhelpyougaininformationbeyondthatofbasicrecordkeeping.Oneofthesemethods,aRapidMarketAssessment(RMA),canbeaneffectivemeansofgatheringinformationaboutyourmarket.Thetechniqueisbeneficialbecauseitinvolvesindividualsfromoutsidethemarkettakingpartintheevaluationprocess.RMAscanhelpyougathermorein-depthinformationaboutthewholemarket,notjusttheSNAPprogram.FormoreinformationaboutRapidMarketAssessments,visitwww.mifma.org.

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Glossary of TermsAlternative Redemption System-AsystemthatallowsallvendorsatafarmersmarkettobenefitfromonePOSD.ThesystemworksbysendingSNAPcustomerstoacentralPOSDtoexchangetheirbenefitsforacurrencytheycanusewithanyparticipatingvendorinthemarket.Currencyisusuallyatoken,suchasawoodennickel,orpaperscrip.

Bridge card-TheEBTcardissuedtoFoodAssistanceProgramrecipientsinMichiganthatissimilartoadebitcardandisusedtopurchasefoodproductsandtoaccesscashassistancebenefits.ThenamecomesfromthepictureoftheMackinacBridgeonthefaceofthecard.

DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services)-Michigan’spublicassistance,childandfamilywelfareagencythatdirectstheoperationsofpublicassistanceandserviceprogramsthroughanetworkofmorethan100countyDepartmentofHealthandHumanServiceofficesaroundthestate.

Double Up Food Bucks-aSNAPincentiveprogramdevelopedbyFairFoodNetworkthatdoublesthevalueofSNAPbenefitsspentatparticipatingmarketsandgrocerystores,helpingpeoplebringhomemorehealthyfruitsandvegetableswhilesupportinglocalfarmers.

EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer)-Anelectronicsystemthatallowsarecipientoffoodassistancebenefitstoauthorizetransferofhisorhergovernmentbenefitsfromafederalaccounttoaretailer’saccount.

FMNP (Farmers Market Nutrition Program)-AUSDAFNSprogramthatprovidesseniorsandWICclientswithfresh,unprepared,locallygrownfruitsandvegetableswiththegoalofexpandingtheawareness,useofandsalesoflocalproduceatfarmersmarkets.

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FAP (Food Assistance Program)-AMichiganDHHSprogramthatsupplementsthefoodpurchasingpoweroflow-incomeindividualsandfamilies.TheUSDAfunds100%ofthebenefitspaidoutthroughthisprogram,whilethestateandfederalgovernmentsshareitsadministrativecosts.ThisstateprogramissynonymouswithSNAPatthefederallevel.

FNS (Food and Nutrition Service)-ThisserviceadministersthenutritionassistanceprogramsoftheUSDA,includingWICandSNAP.Theirmissionistoprovidechildrenandneedyfamiliesbetteraccesstofoodandahealthierdietthroughfoodassistanceprogramsandcomprehensivenutritioneducationefforts.

MIFMA (Michigan Farmers Market Association)-Amember-based,statewideassociationwithamissiontoadvancefarmersmarketstocreateathrivingmarketplaceforlocalfoodandfarmproducts.

POSD (Point-of-Sale Device)-Themachineusedtoconductcredit,debitandEBTtransactions.Manyarewireless;somehardwireddevicesrequireatelephonelineandelectricity.

Senior Project FRESH/Market FRESH-Aneducationalprogramprovidingseniorparticipantswithcouponstopurchaselocallygrown,freshfruitsandvegetablesatparticipatingfarmersmarkets.ThisstateprogramissynonymouswithSeniorFMNPatthefederallevel.

Summer EBT for Children-Anutritionassistanceprogramthatprovidesfundsforpurchasingwell-balancedandnutritionalfoodforbreakfastandlunchduringthesummermonthswhenschoolmealsarenotprovided.ThisprogramisbeingpilotedinselectMichigancounties.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)-AnutritionassistanceprogramadministeredbyFNSthathelpslow-incomepeopleandfamiliesbuythefoodtheyneedforgoodhealth.TheprogramwasformerlyknownastheFoodStampProgram.

SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education)-ThisprogramprovideseducationtopeoplewhoareeligibletoreceiveSNAPbenefits.ThegoalofSNAP-EdistoimprovethelikelihoodthatpersonseligibleforSNAPwillmakehealthyfoodchoiceswithinalimitedbudgetandchoosephysicallyactivelifestylesconsistentwiththecurrentDietaryGuidelinesforAmericansandMyPlate.

TPP (Third Party Processor)-Acompanythatconductscredit,debitandEBTtransactionsandprovidesthesoftwareand/orhardwaretoretailerssothatsalescantakeplace.

USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)-Thefederaldepartmentthatadministersprogramsrelatedtofarmingandthefoodsystem.

WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)-AUSDAFNSprogramtargetedtowardwomen,infantsandchildrenthatservestosafeguardthehealthoflow-incomewomen,infantsandchildrenuptoage5whoareatnutritionalriskbyprovidingnutritiousfoodstosupplementdiets,informationonhealthyeating,andreferralstohealthcare.

WIC Project FRESH-AprogramprovidingparticipatingWICclientswithcouponstopurchaseeligible,locallygrown,freshunpreparedfruitsandvegetablesatauthorizedfarmersmarkets.ThisstateprogramissynonymouswithFMNPatthefederallevel

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Contacts FormoreinformationaboutacceptingSNAPatyourfarmersmarket,contact:

SydneyDebienFoodAccessCoordinatorMichiganFarmersMarketAssociationPh:(517)432-3381sydney@mifma.org

FormoreinformationabouttheFAP,contact:

JimMcCreightEBTCoordinatorDepartmentofHumanServicesPh:(517)335-3636mccreightj@michigan.gov

FormoreinformationaboutWICProjectFRESH,contact:

BrittanyLaRueMichiganDepartmentofHealthandHumanServicesWomen,InfantsandChildren(WIC)DivisionPh:(517)335-8625LaRueB@michigan.gov

FormoreinformationaboutSeniorProjectFRESH/MarketFRESH,contact:

SherriKingMichiganAging&AdultServicesAgencyPh:(517)373-4064kings1@michigan.gov

FormoreinformationabouttheSNAPincentiveprogramcalledDoubleUpFoodBucks,contact:

DoubleUpFoodBucksPh:866.586.2796info@doubleupfoodbucks.orgwww.fairfoodnetwork.org

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Web-based ResourcesVisitMIFMA’sYou-TubeChannelforshortvideosonacceptingSNAPBridgecardsatMichiganfarmersmarketatwww.youtube.com/user/MIFarmersmarkets.

TofindafarmersmarketthatacceptsSNAP,visitwww.mifma.org/find-a-farmers-market.

FormoreinformationaboutSNAP,visittheUSDAFNSwebsiteatwww.fns.usda.gov/snap/.

FormoreinformationaboutFAP,visittheMichiganDepartmentofHealthandHumanServiceswebsiteatwww.michigan.gov/mdhhs.

FormoreinformationaboutfarmersmarketsacceptingSNAP,visittheUSDAFNSFarmersMarketwebsiteatwww.fns.usda.gov/ebt/snap-and-farmers-markets.

FormoreinformationaboutSeniorProjectFRESH/MarketFRESH,visittheMichiganAging&AdultServicesAgencywebsiteatwww.michigan.gov/marketfresh.

FormoreinformationaboutWICProjectFRESH,visittheMichiganDepartmentofHealthandHumanServiceswebsiteatwww.michigan.gov/mdhhs.

FormoreinformationaboutMichiganHarvestoftheMonth,visittheMichiganFitnessFoundationwebsiteatwww.michiganfitness.org/harvest-month.

Formoreinformationandresourcesfromthe“TheyLearnFromWatchingYou”campaign,visitthewebsiteathttp://theylearnfromwatchingyou.org/.

FormoreinformationaboutMichiganFresh,visittheMichiganStateUniversityExtensionwebsiteathttp://msue.anr.msu.edu/program/info/mi_fresh.

Formorenutritioneducationinformationandresources,visittheMichiganStateUniversityExtensionwebsiteathttp://msue.anr.msu.edu/topic/info/nutrition.

Additional ResourcesAERO,NCAT&theCommunityFoodandAgricultureCoalition(2010),MontanaFarmersMarketElectronicBenefitsTransferManual:HowtoAcceptSNAPBenefitsatYourFarmersMarket.Retrievedfromhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/ebtmanual.html.

FarmersMarketCoalition(2011),FarmersMarketManagerFrequentlyAskedQuestions:IncreasingMarketAccess(pp.70-77).Retrievedfromhttp://farmersmarketcoalition.org/education/market-manager-faq/7-increasing-market-access/.

ProjectforPublicSpacesandWholesomeWave(2010),SNAP/EBTatyourFarmersMarket:SevenStepstoSuccess.Retrievedfromhttp://www.pps.org/pdf/SNAP_EBT_Book.pdf.

UnitedStatesDepartmentofAgricultureAgriculturalMarketingService,USDAFoodandNutritionService,andProjectforPublicSpaces,Inc.(2010),SupplementalNutritionAssistanceProgram(SNAP)atFarmersMarkets:AHow-ToHandbook.Retrievedfromhttps://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/SNAPat%20Farmers%20Markets%20Handbook.pdf.

480 Wilson Road, Room 172East Lansing, MI 48824

Ph: 517-432-3381Fx: 517-940-4522www.mifma.org

Suggested Citation:

Montri,D.,Shreve,A.,Chung,K.,&Mino,R.(2016)AcceptingSNAPBridgeCardsatMichiganFarmersMarkets.EastLansing,MI:MichiganFarmersMarketAssociation.Availablefromwww.mifma.org.

PMS 361 PMS 376 PMS 122 PMS 7417 PMS 185 PMS 532PMS 3415

About the Michigan Farmers Market Association TheMichiganFarmersMarketAssociation(MIFMA)wasstartedin2006asastatewideassociationtopromotelocalfoodconsumptioninMichiganbyconnectingmorefarmerstoconsumersthroughfarmersmarkets.Today,MIFMAworkswithitsmembershiptomaintainitsmissionandattainitsvision.

Mission: MIFMA advances farmers markets to create a thriving marketplace for local food and farm products.

Vision: MIFMA places farmers markets at the forefront of the local food movement and works to ensure all residents have access to healthy, locally grown food and that Michigan farmers markets receive policy support.

MIFMAdefinesafarmersmarketasapublicandrecurringassemblyoffarmersortheirrepresentativessellingdirect-to-consumerfoodandproductswhichtheyhaveproducedthemselves.Inaddition,themarketmayincludeavarietyofvendorsasdeterminedbymarketmanagement.Afarmersmarketisorganizedforthepurposeoffacilitatingpersonalconnectionsthatcreatemutualbenefitsforlocalfarmers,vendors,shoppersandcommunities.