Available at the King, Buckman, Northwest and Kenton Portland Farmers Market locations.
Farmers Markets are for Everyone! Despite having the support of government programs like
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, many families struggle to put food on the table. (For a brief history of Food Stamps and SNAP, we invite you to
click here.) SNAP benefits are distributed through the Oregon Trail Card, which is used like a debit card. Portland Farmers Market processes SNAP transactions at each of its eight markets, debiting the Oregon Trail Card in exchange for $1 tokens that shoppers can use at vendor stalls.
Click here to download a list of all the area markets that accept SNAP/Oregon Trail CardsTo help fill the gap and get more farm-direct produce into the hands of our low income neighbors, dedicated community leaders and volunteers partnered with Portland Farmers Market to establish and administer Fresh Exchange, a token-matching program for all SNAP participants.
Fresh Exchange and Farmers Market FundFresh Exchange provides SNAP shoppers with a dollar-for-dollar match (up to an additional $5 per week) to spend with market vendors at the King, Buckman, Northwest and Kenton Portland Farmers Market locations. By making their benefit dollars go farther, Fresh Exchange encourages SNAP beneficiaries to frequent farmers markets, so they can enjoy the best local food and support local farmers.
In 2009, the
Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN), Portland Farmers Market and a group of dedicated community leaders and volunteers partnered to establish Fresh Exchange (originally called Foodshare Fund Northeast) to help get more farm-direct produce into the hands of low-income residents. In Fresh Exchange’s inaugural year, King Portland Farmers Market shoppers using SNAP benefits received an additional $5 per week in matching tokens to spend on fresh local food.
Building on the success of the program established by NECN, in 2010 Fresh Exchange expanded to Buckman Portland Farmers Market in SE Portland, thanks to a Portland Business Alliance Leadership team and fiscal administrator SE Uplift.
The Fresh Exchange program has since expanded to all Portland Farmers Market neighborhood locations--King, Buckman, Northwest and Kenton--where it provides SNAP recipients $5 in matching funds to spend at the market.
Fresh Exchange is now administered by
Farmers Market Fund, a companion charitable organization to Portland Farmers Market dedicated to providing low-income, elderly and under-served populations in the region increased access to healthy, locally grown food.
Since the inception of the Fresh Exchange program, nearly $80,000 has been distributed to area residents in need. These funds have ultimately been directed into the hands of the region’s food producers, contributing to the success of the local food economy and fostering healthier communities.
New Seasons Market, Dave’s Killer Bread, Wells Fargo, Alberta Cooperative Grocery, Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods and Grand Central Baking have generously donated to Fresh Exchange over the years.
Visit the
Farmers Market Fund website to learn more.
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