The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) a grant through the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program to expand its Healthy Incentives Pilot into a Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) that will serve participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) statewide. The program will provide a 100 percent incentive – a dollar-for-dollar match – for each SNAP dollar spent on targeted fruits and vegetables purchased at farmers’ markets, farm stands, mobile markets, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs statewide. Farmers and market managers in Southeastern Massachusetts were invited to sign up for the program at the Taunton YMCA on April 27, 2017. Among those signing up was Partners Market Manager Annemarie Holly who operates an indoor market from July through September at 45 Rock Street. For more information about signing up for the program, contact Annemarie Holly at 508-679-0922.

(Top row, right) Frank.Martinez Nocito of DTA explains the Healthy Incentives Program while Caitlin from Under the Sun Farm signs up with Kendra Murray and Karen Schwalbe of SEMAP. (Middle row) Edward Sivia  from E.L. Silvia Farm in Dighton signs up for the HIP Program with Farmers' Market Program Coordinator David Webber while Laura, left, from Oakdale Farm also signs up. (Bottom row) Farmers at Ruggles and Kennedy Park in Fall River sell local produce while Annemarie Holly, center left, operates a small market at 45 Rock Street between July and September.