FEED Your Neighbors!

Your neighbors are about to go hungry. You can feed them by purchasing Shutdown Dollars.

Families who rely on nutrition benefits are starting to go hungry. SNAP benefits are issued at the start of each month, but November’s benefits are late, and only half of the usual allotment will be issued.

This is hunger with a trickle-down effect. It’s terrible for low-income families and also threatens the food businesses their benefits support— especially small California farmers. 

Many California Certified Farmers’ Markets participate in Market Match, a program which gives “matching funds” to shoppers who spend CalFresh benefits in the markets. This program is wildly successful, helping low-income families access nutritious food and directing sales to small farmers. But now, fewer SNAP benefits means fewer transactions to match. $15 dollars of benefits lost to SNAP users represents $30 of sales taken from local farmers. Small farmers are beginning to suffer alongside their customers. 

Farm Habit is addressing both concerns with a new market currency we’re calling “Shutdown Dollars.” Every shutdown dollar will go directly to shoppers who are out of SNAP benefits, and will be redeemed directly by our local food vendors. 

Shutdown Dollars will carry the same exclusions as EBT benefits which can only be used for fresh farm products and pre-packaged foods such as breads and yogurts. Eligible customers can receive Shutdown Dollars once per-market-day. We will record them using the tracking system in place for market EBT. 

If, by some miracle, donations exceed the demand for EBT in our markets, 100% of excess proceeds will benefit Cooking Together, a Good Habits program that pairs cooking classes with food donations for at-risk families in our communities.