Massachusetts farmers’ markets—and the farms that stock them—are feeling the strain of federal cuts to food assistance programs, and Belmont is no exception.
According to data from the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, in January, 697 households in Belmont, a total of 1,112 residents, received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution proposing a $230 billion spending cut to be implemented by the Agriculture Committee, which many are expecting to gut funding for SNAP.
Amid recent federal discussions of proposed cuts to SNAP, as well as cuts to other food assistance programs, Belmont Farmers’ Market is bracing for a decrease in sales.
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“People are, I think, surprised to find that in Belmont, there are that many households that need assistance to get enough healthy food to put on the table for their families,” said Hal Shubin, chair of the Farmers’ Market.
He said the number of families receiving SNAP benefits in Belmont has also steadily risen in recent years.
Families who receive SNAP benefits are also eligible for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), which provides a match to SNAP funds for families to purchase healthy foods directly from farmers. In 2024, SNAP recipients received $40 to $80 per month per family in HIP benefits, according to Shubin.
However, he said this past December, the HIP benefit was reduced to $20 per month per family.
The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, which provides farmers’ market coupons to families who receive WIC—a federal nutrition program for women, children, and infants—as well as eligible seniors, will also be decreasing this year.
The funding had previously been doubled by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant, but with the grant expiring, benefits will be reduced from $50 to $25 per recipient, according to Shubin.
“Altogether, our food assistance programs helped shoppers stretch their food budgets by $57,393 in the 2024 season, but we expect this to decrease in 2025 due to these cuts,” he said.
Programs at the Market
At the start of each market season, the Belmont Farmers’ Market provides educational opportunities to help families learn about their benefits.
“We bring in people from statewide, regional and local organizations to provide information to folks about what’s available, to help them apply and even to work out problems that they’ve had with their benefits,” Shubin said.
The market also hosts the POP Club program, which gives each child at the market a $3 coupon to spend on local food.
“And so you know, if we wind up with fewer families coming because HIP is cut, or they get cut out of SNAP, then those kids are not going to be involved in POP club, perhaps, and then they wind up missing out all the features of that program,” he said.
The Impact
Shubin said he predicts the effects of the cuts will ripple out to local farms and that towns across the state are already seeing vendors and shoppers withdraw from their markets.
“If there are fewer people at the market, everyone’s going to have lower sales,” Shubin said.
In light of the cuts, local organizations are advocating for funds to be returned for food assistance programs through lobbying efforts and mobilizing residents to contact their elected officials—including their state representative, state senator, and US senators.
“People tell us how important [the funding] is, and how much they appreciate the extra support they get for getting food for their families,” Shubin said.
He added, “Some people say they have special diets and it’s important to get organic produce or meats that are raised in ways where the animals aren’t getting hormones and antibiotics… . Iit’s great to know that we can help people out.”
The Belmont community can support the farmers’ market through donations and sponsorships—which they can learn more about on the farmers’ market website, he said.
According to Shubin, it’s also important for people to encourage folks they know to apply for benefits, adding that the funds are not a limited pie.
“As long as the funding is there, everyone who needs benefits should get them,” he said.
The Belmont Farmers’ Market will run every Thursday beginning at 2PM in the Belmont Center parking lot from June 5 through the end of October.
