Stretching low-income food dollars at Troy Farmers Market

With the addition of a new program to help low-income seniors to get fresh produce and one that helps to stretch “SNAP” dollars, the Troy Farmers Market is growing not just in what it offers, but in who can benefit.

Under a new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program effort through financial assistance from Nourish the Flathead, the Troy Farmers Market can provide an additional $10 of buying power for fresh produce for shoppers using SNAP cards.

Added to that benefit for low-income seniors over 60, the farmer’s market is also now a participant in the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, providing $50 vouchers to eligible seniors from the Troy and Libby area.

The vouchers can be spent on fresh produce or Montana honey.

Even just talking to people in the community, Shawna Kelsey of the Troy Farmers Market said she encountered a lot of enthusiasm for the two programs.

“The senior program especially is just something everyone can get behind,” she said.

Kelsey said the hope is that the program will help bring people to the market who might not otherwise come, and that many residents can take advantage of both programs to increase the nutrition in their diet.

“And also to get out and visit with people,” she said.

For those who can’t make it to the farmer’s market every week, they can designate one proxy to pick up their produce that they use the voucher to purchase, Kelsey said. However, that option is only for the voucher, and SNAP operates under separate rules.

The market continues to grow every year, and last year typically had around five vendors selling produce every week, Kelsey said.

To keep the market as food-oriented as they have has taken intentional effort, Kelsey said.

“We love crafts, but we just aren’t a craft market,” she said.

Yet, with financial support from the Yaak Valley Forest Council and other grants, the market has also been able to keep vendor fees low, which has helped vendors to develop as well.

“We have really loyal vendors, who have grown their operations, which inspires other people to get started or expand,” she said.