SNAP token program expands access to healthy food

As many worry about cuts to federal funds, the use of the Supplemental Nutritious Assistance Program continues to thrive at the Rochester Public Market. 

The Friends of Rochester Public Market’s token program is on pace to match last year’s $1.5 million in SNAP dollars spent at the market, an increase from $1.1 million the year before. The program aims to make it easy for SNAP recipients to gain access to healthy food.

“For the type of farmer’s market we are, we’re No. 1 in the country (for) bringing federal funds through SNAP and the FreshConnect coupons back into our local community through our local vendors at the market,” says Leslie Knox, president of Friends of the Rochester Public Market’s board.

Together with FreshConnect, another program designed to expand access to fresh food in underserved areas, Knox says the Friends brought more than $2 million into the community in 2024.

Established in 2006, the Friends of the Rochester Public Market is a nonprofit that works closely with the city of Rochester’s public market to offer programs and services that target and support farmers, shoppers and vendors. The organization has its roots in the centennial celebration of the market when a group of volunteers gathered to help with special events. The group decided to keep going, eventually creating a charitable organization.

The Friends’ SNAP Token program is one of its most significant activities, in addition to selling merchandise and planning events like the Artist Row in September. On a shopping trip, SNAP recipients can pick up tokens for use in the public market.

“We essentially front (vendors) the cash from their SNAP benefit exchanges so that they don’t have to wait to be reimbursed by the state,” Knox says. “We float it for them. We float it for them at a cost of 2 percent to 3 percent of whatever their take-home is. So, if they show that they sold $100, they have $100 in SNAP tokens, they would get like $97 to $98 of that back.”

By doing this, vendors avoid long reimbursement waits, and the token program leverages the probability that if people have easy access to healthy food, they are more likely to buy it.

“On a nice weather Saturday, if you look at the line for the token center, you’ll see some of everybody in the line,” Knox says. “There’s people whose families have been in the country or in Rochester for generations, as well as people whose family just got to Rochester. There’s a strong word of mouth if not active community support guiding people toward the market.”

The organization also allows for the option of gift tokens. Last year, it sold nearly $40,000 in gift tokens. 

“Gift tokens can be purchased by credit card or cash, and they come in $5 increments, and there’s some not-for-profits and other organizations in the community that give them out,” Knox says. “Housing Options Made Easy has been known (to) purchase a batch of gift tokens, and then give them out to their clients.”

Knox believes that this program helps shoppers use the market and learn of its resources.

“We’re doing what we’re doing well, and more people need to know that even as your resources decrease, this is a place to get the most out of every dollar,” she says. “We can still help people. But I think more people need to know that we can help. So, even if you have fewer food stamps, or even if you have no food stamps, your dollars can still be stretched further at the market.”

While concerns abound over cuts to assistance programs—there have been warnings—Knox says, “What we (the Friends) can promise is to do the best with what we have for as long as we can. We’ve found a well-received measure of success making the market a better place for different reasons, we plan to continue refining and building on our success.”

Smriti Jacob is Rochester Beacon managing editor. 

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