Watertown Farmers’ Market

Expanding Assistance to Put Healthy Food in Reach

There are so many reasons to look forward to the Watertown Farmers’ Market, which is held weekly between June and October in Saltonstall Park. The beautiful, just-picked fruits and veggies, the delicious specialty items, and a chance to connect with neighbors are just a few. And, for those facing food insecurity and relying on food assistance programs like SNAP benefits (formerly food stamps) to feed their families, two different programs—the SNAP Match Program and the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP)—make limited dollars go further. This helps make healthy fruits and vegetables, which can be an expensive part of any food budget, financially accessible. 

How does this work?  While SNAP benefits can be used in any grocery story, SNAP Match and HIP funds can only be used at a farmers’ market.  The Watertown Farmers' Market leverages SNAP funds by providing a dollar-to-dollar match, up to $15 a week, making SNAP dollars go further and high-quality local produce more accessible.  All you do is visit the Market Manager's table to get your vouchers that are accepted by the market vendors. The Watertown Community Foundation has provided regular grants to make SNAP match funds available.  

Anyone receiving SNAP benefits is also eligible for HIP benefits. This provides free produce from any of the HIP-certified vendors (Dick's Market Farm, Stillman's Farm, and Farmer Tim's). You swipe your EBT card and get an immediate, automatic reimbursement. While the amount may vary, it is typically about $40 - $80/month, depending on your family’s size. 

Stephanie Venizelos is the City of Watertown’s Community Wellness Program Manager, running both the Watertown Farmers’ Market and Live Well Watertown. She sees it as an important part of her job to make sure that everyone with SNAP benefits knows about these programs. Similarly, she is working hard to close the “SNAP gap” in Watertown – the number of people who are eligible for this benefit who have not applied for it. “While we have about nine percent of people in Watertown using SNAP benefits, we know we have at least another nine percent who qualify but aren’t enrolled,” Venizelos said. “We’re trying to get the word out about that by sharing information at the Farmers’ Market Manager’s Table.”  While the Watertown Farmers’ Market may close in October, education and outreach about the food assistance program occurs year-round. 

But that’s not all. Food left over at the end of the market day is donated to the two food pantries and the Community Fridge, ensuring that our most vulnerable neighbors will be able to enjoy fresh produce, even if they can’t make it to the Farmers’ Market.   

During COVID Stephanie recognized that not everyone who qualifies for SNAP and HIP could make it to the market. This is why she and the Watertown Housing Authority (WHA) piloted a partnership with Dick’s Farm and the Department of Transitional Assistance to deliver bags of produce to SNAP beneficiaries at the WHA.  After a successful pilot, this program was expanded to provide all WHA residents access to market items during the COVID Food Distribution program, funded by the Watertown Community Foundation.  While the funding for this program has ended, Stephanie successfully sought new funding through ARPA to support a growing SNAP Match Program and continues to partner with the WHA to deliver monthly produce from Stillman’s Farm to residents who are SNAP/HIP beneficiaries.  

The Watertown Community Foundation is a proud supporter the Watertown Farmers’ Market and Watertown’s Live Well Programs run by Stephanie Venizelos.  We honor her dedication and commitment to providing equitable access to healthy food to all of Watertown’s residents.   Visit  livewellwatertown.org/farmers-market to learn more about the Watertown Farmers’ Market.