Greenmarket’s EBT/Food stamps program continues to expand exponentially, with figures for the first half of 2011 coming in 3.5 times higher than in 2010.
2009 Markets accepting EBT: 23 EBT total, January to June: $5,102
2010 Markets accepting EBT: 40 EBT total, January to June: $38,652
2011 Markets accepting EBT: 43 EBT total, January to June: $131,938
Thanks to continued support from Speaker Christine Quinn and the New York City Council, the number of Greenmarkets accepting EBT has risen steadily from 3 markets in 2005, to 23 markets in 2009, to the current 43 markets (including every Greenmarket in an outer borough) in 2011.
Greenmarket attributes a large part of the EBT program’s success to the NYC Department of Health’s Health Bucks program. July through November, $2 Health Bucks are given out for every $5 an EBT customer spends at qualifying Greenmarkets market–representing a 40% boost in buying power.
Greenmarket’s EBT program not only provides nutritious, local produce for all shoppers, it also makes a big impact on farmer revenues, providing 25-50% of farmer income in some cases.