Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project offers a $5 bonus to the first 50 SNAP/EBT customers at the downtown Asheville City Market. Here are the details from the press release:
ASAP and Asheville City Market Downtown’s annual $5 for $5 EBT/SNAP promotion returns this summer. Usually held for four weeks in August, the program expands in 2013 to nine Saturdays beginning July 6 and running through August 31. During the promotion, the first 50 SNAP customers at each Saturday Asheville City Market who make a minimum purchase of $5 in SNAP tokens will receive a free $5 bonus token. EBT cards are swiped in exchange for tokens to spend with market vendors; credit and debit card purchases are also made this way.
“Our customers with SNAP benefits are looking forward to an extension of the $5 for $5 bonus program,” says Asheville City Market Manager Mike McCreary. “We’re looking forward to being able to offer the program once again and to extending it so that shoppers can purchase even more farm-fresh food when at the height of its harvest this summer.”
The promotion is made possible with funding from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC). Funding from CFWNC also goes to running Growing Minds @ Market at Asheville City Market, a summer children’s activity series coordinated/hosted by ASAP’s Growing Minds Farm to School Program in partnership with community organizations. Growing Minds @ Market also runs through the end of August; more information can be found at growing-minds.org.
Asheville City Market began accepting EBT/SNAP payments in 2008 and has routinely led the Southeast in EBT sales at farmers markets. The Downtown market is located at 161 South Charlotte St. and is open 8 am – 1 pm every Saturday through November, with special holiday markets beginning in December and an indoor winter market that starts in January. Asheville City Market also operates a South Asheville location, at 2 Town Square Boulevard in Biltmore Park Town Square, that runs Wednesdays 1 – 5 pm; the South location, however, is not offering the bonus $5.
Select other area tailgates also accept EBT/SNAP. Customers can learn if a farmers market near them accepts EBT/SNAP by visiting ASAP’s online Local Food Guide at appalachiangrown.org. A “Payment Methods” section was added to each tailgate’s display listing earlier this year.
ABOUT ASAP (APPALACHIAN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROJECT)
ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. One way ASAP works to achieve this mission is by operating Asheville City Market and Asheville City Market South. To learn more about ASAP’s work, visit cfwnc.org.
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