In 1999, Oregon was recognized as perhaps the hungriest state in the U.S.A. Since then, food banks, food pantries, gleaner groups, and others have put a lot of effort into connecting food insecure residents with resources. By 2015 Oregon’s overall food insecurity rates were down, but certain groups were still disproportionately affected, including renters, single mothers, rural residents, and people of color. In July 2025, H.R. 1 (also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) was signed into law. Among the many structural and policy changes it implemented were changes to SNAP eligibility and the elimination of federal funding for SNAP-Ed. By the end of 2025, hunger in Oregon was once again at record levels and as of April 2026, nearly 47,000 Oregonians have lost their SNAP benefits.

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Historically, Fresh & Local, First! (FLF) has focused its efforts on SNAP match programs, which the Corvallis and Albany Farmers’ Markets have offered in some form since 2011; demand has gone up yearly. The value of these programs is well documented. They work by incentivizing low-income residents to buy fresh, nutritious food by doubling the value of their SNAP benefits up to a certain amount. When offered at farmers’ markets, these programs also infuse local food systems with the power of the public purse.

 

Since 2020, SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) SNAP match program have brought over 1.6 million dollars to farmers’ market vendors in Linn and Benton counties. Since 2019, DUFB has been funded by Oregon’s Farmers’ Market Fund. They wrote in their 2019-2021 Final Activity Report that 87% of participants reported that their overall health improved and 70% of farmers reported making more money because of DUFB. Before state and federal programs fully funded DUFB, beginning in 2015, FLF funded a reduced SNAP match program at farmers’ markets in Corvallis, Albany, Lebanon, and Sweet Home.

 

In November 2025, when SNAP benefit distribution was delayed due to the federal government shutdown, we recognized that losing SNAP dollars at the farmers markets would be a hardship for both consumers and vendors. Furthermore, we recognized additional challenges to the efficacy of traditional SNAP match programs: SNAP benefits have not kept up with inflation and categorical ineligibility for SNAP is likely to increase. So, we developed a new program, Community Bucks, which will rolled out quickly thanks to our board of directors and collaboration with a long-term local farmers’ market director.

 

Community Bucks were piloted at the Fill Your Pantry event and the Corvallis Indoor Winter Market, both of which serve people across Benton and Linn counties. At these events, we were able to give $20 of Community Bucks (in $2 denominations) to people with SNAP cards, even if their balance was $0, to spend with vendors at these markets. In total during the pilot period, FLF funded $9,982 of Community Bucks, which never expire and can be spent on anything that is SNAP eligible. This broadening of eligible products (not just produce) represents an important expansion in vendor support and reflects our continued commitment to the twofold problem we’re working to address. Now meat, dairy, egg, and seafood vendors can benefit too. 

 

We are fortunate that our local farmers’ markets already utilize a system of tokens or vouchers for SNAP and DUFB. Community Bucks wouldn’t be possible without our partnership the with farmers’ market organizations who staff the booths where transactions are done, distribute cash to farmers, and supply accounting and administrative oversight. Partnerships with area food pantries, who can refer new customers to the markets, are important too. With these relationships in place, our role is to raise funds and aggregate data from the markets for use in further fundraising and program improvement.

 

We are now in a financial recovery and fundraising phase to develop our Community Bucks program. Our next goal is to introduce Community Bucks at the farmers’ markets in rural parts of Benton and Linn counties, where approximate 30% of grocery store revenue comes from SNAP. We plan to continue to focus on farmers’ markets due to the ease of reaching many vendors through a single hub and the strength of our ongoing relationships with local farmers’ market organizations.

 

We are also looking to determine eligibility beyond SNAP current or recent participation. We recognize that low-income households are losing access to SNAP or facing reductions in benefits due to changes in policy, not changes in need, and want to ensure they can be reached too. Tying Community Bucks eligibility to participation in SNAP would leave some hungry people out and it wouldn’t help local farmers and food producers either. As ever, we are mindful to keep both groups, both needs, in at the forefront of our efforts.