NEW YORK (PIX11) – A new program is giving people who receive SNAP benefits better access to locally grown food from New York farmers.
Organizations around New York can now apply to the FreshConnect CSA, state officials announced Monday. CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a system that allows people to pay in advance for a share of a farm's harvest and then receive produce on a weekly basis, according to the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York.
The goal of the program is to give SNAP recipients the opportunity to access locally grown food while still supporting farmers and producers, according to state officials.
The FreshConnect CSA partially contributes to the cost of a weekly share purchase, helping SNAP recipients afford access to locally grown food. The price of food will be lower for the consumer, but farmers will still be paid the full price for the produce they sell, according to state officials.
The FreshConnect CSA could pay for up to 50% of the cost of a weekly share purchase sold to a SNAP recipient.
Applications for the program must be submitted by Aug. 27 at 3 p.m. A webinar to explain how the FreshConnect CSA program works will be held on June 18.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
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