Triple Your 3SquaresVT Money at Farmers Markets – Where $1 Turns Into $3!

Triple your 3SquaresVT dollars at farmers markets this summer! Many farmers markets in the state of Vermont participate in a NOFA-VT program called Crop Cash. At these markets, when you swipe your EBT card (the plastic card that 3SquareSVT benefits come on), you can get up to $40 in free coupons to shop with.

If you are familiar with Crop Cash, you may have noticed that the matching power of Crop Cash coupons has changed over time, so be sure to read carefully to learn about the new details for this summer. In 2023, when you swipe your EBT card at a market’s information booth, they will match each 3SquaresVT dollar you use (up to $20) with a $1 Crop Cash coupon AND a $1 Crop Cash PLUS coupon. The first $20 of 3SVT benefits you spend will be matched with Crop Cash and Crop Cash PLUS. If you spend $20 in 3SquaresVT benefits at a market, you will get $20 in Crop Cash AND $20 in Crop Cash PLUS. Simply put- $20 turns into $60; that’s triple your money! For questions about Crop Cash, contact Johanna Doren at NOFA-VT: 802-434-7162 or johanna@nofavt.org.

Here are a few spending scenarios to explain how this works in more detail:

  • If you were to spend $10 of 3SquaresVT benefits at the market, you will get $10 of Crop Cash (for fruits/vegetables) and $10 of Crop Cash PLUS (for SNAP-eligible items). That’s a total of $20 extra (and $30 total, including your 3SVT dollars) to spend at the market!
  • If you were to spend $20 of 3SquaresVT benefits, you will get $20 of Crop Cash and $20 of Crop Cash PLUS. That’s a total of $40 extra (and $60 total) to spend at the market!
  • If you were to spend $25 of 3SquaresVT benefits, you will get $20 of Crop Cash and $20 of Crop Cash PLUS. That’s a total of $40 extra (and $65 total dollars) to spend at the market! *Note- in this scenario, can you see how only the first $20 of 3SVT benefits are matched with Crop Cash and Crop Cash PLUS, even when more than $20 in 3SquaresVT is spent.

Never heard of Crop Cash PLUS? That’s because it is a new coupon program that NOFA-VT is piloting this summer! As it is a pilot, it is not guaranteed to continue in future seasons, but will be in place at least until October 31, 2023 (regular Crop Cash coupons will continue past this date). With regular Crop Cash, you can only purchase crops (fruit, veggies, herbs, plant seedlings)…but with Crop Cash PLUS, you can also purchase meat, eggs, dairy, bread products, and more! With these new Crop Cash PLUS coupons, you can buy anything that you would be able to buy with your 3SquaresVT benefits. We are all living through this time of economic inflation, when a carton of eggs can cost as much as $8, so the expansion of purchasing flexibility with Crop Cash PLUS feels quite timely and important.

In the state of Vermont, 37 farmers markets distribute Crop Cash coupons. The beauty of shopping at a farmers market with your EBT card, and using Crop Cash, is that all these dollars go straight back into the local Vermont economy and into the hands of our tireless farmers. Are you a proud Vermont neighbor? Do you know your local farmer? Crop Cash empowers you to invest in your local economy and in your farmers, while also tripling your 3SquaresVT dollars. It’s a win-win.

Here’s a play-by-play of how using EBT and Crop Cash at a market will work:

  1. Visit a participating farmers market (complete list).
  2. Look for the market manager’s table—this is where you can swipe your EBT card.
  3. Let the person staffing the table know that you’d like to use your EBT card and tell them how many dollars you’d like to redeem off it. Swipe your card in the EBT machine and enter your PIN. The amount requested will be taken from your 3SquaresVT account.
  4. You will be given $1 wooden tokens in the amount that you redeem off your EBT card, which can be used to buy any 3SquaresVT-eligible food at the market: fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs, baked goods, and more. Note that you cannot use 3SquaresVT money to purchase hot, prepared foods or alcohol.
  5. You will also be given $1 of Crop Cash AND $1 in Crop Cash Plus for every $1 in 3SquaresVT benefits you spend. Up to $20 of 3SquaresVT benefits will be matched per market visit. Crop Cash must be used by the expiration date indicated on the coupon. You can also go to multiple participating markets each and every week to receive Crop Cash at each one individually.
  6. Come back and do it again next week! You can always save your EBT tokens and Crop Cash and use them at next week’s market, as long as you use them before they expire!

**If you receive your benefits directly deposited into your bank account, you can still get coupons, just let the person swiping cards know how much you would like to spend at the market, and you can either swipe your debit card or bring cash to get $1 tokens and the additional coupons to triple your money!

Think you might be eligible for 3SquaresVT (also known as SNAP)? You can click here to view the current guidelines. Contact our team at the Vermont Foodbank to learn more—we can answer your questions, screen you for eligibility, or assist you with an application! Call us at (855)855-6181, text VFBSNAP to 85511, or email 3svt@vtfoodbank.org.