SNAP Match Days to be offered at Historic Roanoke City Market

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Downtown Roanoke, Inc. (DRI) is updating how it deals with SNAP benefits at the Historic Roanoke City Market.

Via the new “Member One presents Mega Market Match,” on Mega Market Match days from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., when users purchase EBT/SNAP tokens, they will receive a dollar-to-dollar match, up to $100 per person, according to DRI. That means for each $1 purchased, users will receive an additional $1 EBT/SNAP match to use with market vendors.

DRI has already been implemented SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) on the market. SNAP is a federal nutrition program designed to help users stretch their food budgets while buying healthy food. Roanoke’s participation in this program “provides access to locally grown, healthy foods and helps support our local farmers and producers.”

DRI currently provides matching funds of up to $20 for SNAP users to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables on the Historic City Market every day.

Mega Market Match days are May 13, July 15, August 12, and September 23. On these days, DRI will have cooking demos through the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Family Nutrition Program to teach people how to prepare dishes using ingredients from the market. DRI will also pass out separate recipe cards, so visitors will go home knowing how to make two meals using local ingredients.

Member One Federal Credit Union’s VP of Community Impact, Alex Lucas, said, “We are proud to be partnered again with Downtown Roanoke this year. We feel like these summer days on the market build community, support local business, and connect people in our area to local agriculture. Furthermore, through the Mega Market Match program, we are working together to ensure that everyone, no matter the circumstances, has access to the best food choices.”