When Food Stamps changed from a paper coupon to an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card in the late 1990s, many Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients were left unable to use their benefits at farmers markets. Farmers didn’t have the infrastructure to accept EBT cards, so customers had to shop elsewhere.
To address this, Farm Fresh RI creates the Fresh Bucks token system. With two types of tokens designed by a RISD student and produced in the US, and one centralized card terminal at the Market Manager’s table, vendors become able to accept currency from SNAP/EBT shoppers and credit card customers alike!
