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Using food stamps? Add extra bucks to your budget

People who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP, formerly known as food stamps - have two ways to make the most of their purchasing power.

    by Dianna Marder | Columnist, Inquirer
    Published 

People who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP, formerly known as food stamps - have two ways to make the most of their purchasing power.

One is Philly Food Bucks, a program of the Food Trust. Shoppers who spend $5 on produce at one of the more than 25 farmer's markets operated by the Food Trust get a $2 Philly Food Buck in return, on the spot. A list of those markets is at www.thefoodtrust.org. Or call the Food Trust at 215-575-0444.

The other program, Double Dollars, is available only at the Fair Food Farmstand in the Reading Terminal Market. This is a dollar-for-dollar benefit; for every $5 in SNAP dollars spent, you get $5 in Double Dollars.

Double Dollars can be used to buy meat, eggs, or anything else at the farmstand - not just fruits and vegetables, but only at the Farmstand.

As an added convenience, Philly Food Bucks are accepted for purchases at the Fair Food Farmstand.