Farm Connect Montana is making paychecks go further at local farmers markets to help people buy more healthy, fresh food and promote healthier living across the state.
An estimated 1 in 9 Montanans, including 1 in 6 children, experience food insecurity. And more than 58,000 Montanans live in areas with limited access to a grocery store or supermarket, making it a constant challenge to get fresh, affordable food, according to the Montana Food Bank Network.
Since 2015, Farm Connect Montana has partnered with state organizations on the Double SNAP Dollars Program. The initiative provides Montanans who receive SNAP benefits a 1:1 match of up to $30 per day to spend at participating farmers markets, farm stands and grocery stores.
In 2024, 35 sites participated in the program, including 13 Albertsons grocery stores statewide.
“Food security and nutrition are key components in our effort to directly impact social determinants of health in Montana,” says BCBSMT Plan President Lisa Kelley.
“We are incredibly proud to support Farm Connect Montana, because it provides support to those in need and in turn supports Montana farmers and ranchers," Kelley says. "Not only does this organization break down stigmas related to food security and help people in need gain access to food, but it also fosters healthy choices, which is a benefit to long-term population health.”
With the help of a $35,000 Blue Impact grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, Farm Connect Montana is expanding into new regions, reaching Native American populations and other groups, and partnering with new grocery stores and farmers markets.
The Blue ImpactSM grant program targets social and economic factors that influence health, including access to fresh, affordable food that’s vital to better health outcomes.
The funding will help staff travel to new areas, make connections and distribute informational postcards and brochures to Montanans eligible for the Double Snap Dollars Program.
“This grant helps us increase our capacity and expand our reach across the state,” says Ian Finch, Farm Connect Montana’s food access program director. “This is about bringing the program to people in central and eastern Montana so shoppers can get the food they deserve in the way they want to — without stigma.”
Nearly everyone involved in the program ate more fruits and vegetables due to the dollar matching. More than 75% said the program was important in their decision to spend their nutrition benefits at farmers markets, according to Farm Connect survey results.
“Many participants wouldn’t be shopping at farmers markets if this program didn’t exist,” Finch says. “By providing this nutritional benefit, we’re also introducing people to the local food system and encouraging them to take a leap and explore these local markets.”
To date, the Double Snap Dollars Program has served more than 12,000 Montanans and recirculated over $1.6 million into the state’s local food economy.
Local food partnerships
The Double SNAP Dollars Program is one piece of the nonprofit’s wider programming designed to decrease hunger and support the local food ecosystem, Finch says.
Farm Connect provides new farmers and ranchers with physical tools, financial advice on purchasing land, certification programs, and other resources needed to grow and maintain farmland.
Through a partnership with Montana’s Department of Public Health and Human Services, the organization coordinates the state’s Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which provides about 1,600 seniors each year with $48 in coupons to be used at local farms and farmers markets. Farm Connect also coordinates the Montana Produce Prescription Collaborative to provide eligible patients free fruits and vegetables.
To reach young residents, the nonprofit recently launched a nutrition education series in partnership with schools, health care organizations and other nonprofits to provide public and private nutrition classes to students. The Kids Who Cook program teaches third- and fourth-graders easy, affordable recipes they can make at home.
Finch says they want to encourage shoppers to advocate for themselves and nurture long-term behavior changes.
“We want to reach people while they're young and help them develop the skills for a healthy and active lifestyle.”
