SNAP Cash & Produce Match

About SNAP Cash and Produce Match: 

Some people, mostly living in the greater Portland area, receive a SNAP Cash benefit in lieu of traditional SNAP.  SNAP Cash benefits have no restrictions, and can be used to purchase anything in the market. 

Per our federal GusNIP and GusCRR grants, SNAP Cash transactions may not be matched with Double Up Food Bucks. Farmers Market Fund has created a sister program called Produce Match for these transactions. Markets that reported having SNAP Cash sales in their 2025 DUFB application will receive funds and materials to administer this program.

Train your staff and vendors: 

1. Share the SNAP Cash staff information letter and Produce Match Script and FAQ with your staff and volunteers. Make sure your staff understands the difference between these two currencies! 

2. Instruct staff on Produce Match Record Keeping: Track customer transactions in the same way, but separate from, Double Up transactions. Record vendor redemptions in the same document as a new column in your paper or spreadsheet Double Up vendor reimbursement record.

3. Give your vendors the Vendor SNAP Cash information letter along with their DUFB letters. Give letters to both eligible and ineligible vendors. Vendors should redeem any Produce Match currency for reimbursement on the same schedule as SNAP and DUFB.

What to do when an SNAP Cash customer comes to your info booth: 

1. SNAP Cash matching works just like Double Up Food Bucks, but it needs to be tracked separately.

2. Swipe the customer's card, and confirm that they will be using SNAP cash (if they have TANF benefits they are not eligible for Produce Match or Double Up. See notes on TANF and FAQ below). Use the Produce Match Customer Record sheet or the SNAP Cash column on the dual record sheet to write down the transaction information. 

3. Once the transaction processes, give the shopper their Credit/Debit tokens and the corresponding amount of SNAP Cash Produce Match cards, up to $20 match per day. 

SNAP Cash Produce Match Reporting: 

Reporting for SNAP Cash Match works mostly in the same way as reporting for DUFB. Each market with Produce Match has their own report in Smartsheet. Please enter your data in the Produce Match reporting form for each market. Similar to DUFB reporting, you will enter your data through the reporting form, but you will be able to edit it in your specific market's smartsheet workspace/report. 

You can track Produce Match redemption in the same sheet that you use for DUFB redemption. 

Contact AR Kittleson Springer if you need help locating your Produce Match reporting sheet. 

What to do when an TANF Cash customer comes to your info booth: 

1. Let them know that while the market is unable to match TANF Cash benefits, they are still more than welcome to use their benefits in the market. They can either get tokens at the info booth (if your market has credit/debit tokens) or pull cash from their card using an ATM. 

Customer Script: [Market name] is no longer matching TANF cash benefits on Oregon Trail cards due to funding constraints. However, you may still use your TANF benefits at the market by either withdrawing cash from an ATM and spending it with vendors or swiping your EBT card at the information booth and getting tokens to spend at market. Our market DOES still accept and match SNAP, we encourage you to continue to bring these benefits to market so that you can still receive a match up to $20 per day for fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Manager SNAP Cash FAQ: 

Q: How is SNAP cash different from TANF?

A: SNAP cash is an Oregon specific program that is primarily for seniors in the Portland area. This was a special pilot program that Oregon DHS has continued to offer, but cannot expand. Recipients receive SNAP benefits as a deposit onto their EBT Card or directly into their bank accounts and do not have the same restrictions as other customers using SNAP. 

TANF is a cash benefit for families with children with no to very little income. Their benefit is given as cash on their EBT card to be spent on items like food, childcare, and transportation. Customers with SNAP and customers with TANF both receive their benefits on their EBT card (Oregon Trail card) but TANF recipients can access their benefits like cash. They can either withdraw them from an ATM or use them at the register, just like they would use SNAP (but they select “cash” or “EBT cash” at the point of sale instead of “SNAP”). 

Note: Most people who have TANF also have SNAP benefits

Read more about https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/cash/pages/tanf.aspx TANF here

Q: Can my market still accept TANF?

A: Yes! We just don’t have the funds to match TANF at this time. Customers wanting to use their TANF can either go to an ATM and withdraw cash to spend with vendors or swipe their Oregon Trail Card at your info booth in exchange for general market tokens that can be spent on anything at the market.

Q: If I fundraise separately can I still match TANF?

A: This is up to your market to determine. If you decide to, our suggestion is to be very clear about what program your market is matching (see the difference between TANF and SNAP cash above) and continue to track everything separately from DUFB and SNAP. 

Q: Who should I direct customers to with complaints?

A: If you get complaints that your market is not able to handle you can direct them to email FMF at info@farmersmarketfund.org 

Q: What should I tell my customers?

A: See customer script above. We recommend emphasizing that folks who receive SNAP on their EBT card can still receive a DUFB match by using their SNAP benefits. Those with TANF and SNAP cash can also continue to use their benefits at the market, it just won’t be matched.