Roanoke’s Fresh Market now accepts SNAP benefits
Roanoke’s Fresh Market at Towers Shopping Center is now accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, according to a spokeswoman for the company.
The specialty grocery store joins Kroger, Food Lion, the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op, the Roanoke City Farmer’s Market and the West End Community Market, all of which accept SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) benefits.
According to data from the U.S Department of Agriculture, 46.7 million people used SNAP in 2012, up from 19 million in 2002. In Virginia, 933,462 people received the benefit as of October 2012. That’s up from 896,420 a year earlier. (Click here to see a list of participation by state.)
The average monthly benefit per Virginian was $128 in 2012, up from $93.26 in 2008.(Click here to see a list of state averages.)
SNAP benefits can be used to purchase most foods, but not alcohol, cigarettes, toiletries, vitamins, medicine, pet food, household items, hot food or food eaten in a store. Click here to see a list of eligible items.
February 8, 2013 - 5:00 AM
Good.They have some really good produce.Nobody knows when they may need help and to be able to access fresh food that lasts is a good thing
thats just great. i’ll end up behind someone in line who uses their card to purchase items i rarely can afford on my salary. “buzzards gotta eat, same as worms”
Great news!!
They are expensive. But their meats and produce are priced in reasonably when on sale.
great. now that nice store will look like the Kroger around the corner! Trash!
Honestly, how much can EBT get someone at Fresh Market? Wouldn’t they get more at Kroger and Food Lion? Are people who need gov food assistance really need a nice filet or king crab? I guess Fresh Market believes that they do.
SNAP benefits are a huge cash cow for grocers, I’m surprised it took Fresh Market this long to get in on the game. Even so, the more options people have, the better.
Wow, alot of NICE comments above. Have a Good weekend.
Chris, Chris, Chris, you better save your pennies……that better than thou attitude will bite you right in the arse somewhere down the road….pretty much guaranteed
Healthy great foods, but definitely not a cost effectve use of SNAP dollars.
Also, I hope their merchandise doesn’t change. Sam’s Club has totally ruined the Roanoke store when they started accepting SNAP. They just carry larger sizes of Walmart goods. All the higher quality meats are gone. Probably will not renew my expired card. I love the upscale shopping experience at Fresh Market and by that I mean higher end products and a more European market experience. They admit they have added lower cost products due to the recession, but if they add many more, they will stop being Fresh Market. I was willing to pay more for the anti Walmart experience.
Hope Fresh Markets next move is to get a customer shelf check out lane like Kroger and Wal Marts so others not on the entitlement program dont have to wait 15 minutes behind them for their transactions to be processed and presumabaly approved.
Why does it matter to people where those on SNAP shop at ? Those who qualify and receive these benefits are going to shop and spend those benefits regardless, so why is it any of our concern as to where? At least at Fresh Market you know there are more options for quality food and not junk!
Just because millions of people are on food stamps does not make them trash.Look at what going rate of pay is around here…it’s not surprising.You try paying for shelter,clothing,car insurance,gas,electric,credit cards{if you have any}.All you snooty,snarky morons keep your opinions to yourself until you’ve had to live paycheck to paycheck.
Why would that Chris dude say Farm Fresh
would be trash like Kroger around the corner
for accepting food stamps?
I wonder if he can spell HUMBLE?
HUMBLE yourself & be at ease.
What people do not understand about us critics is that if my dollars do not go as far quantity wise at FreshMarket, does it make sense for a person using SNAP to shop there? SNAP benefits are not designed to be enough to feed a person for the whole month, so instead of needing to use church pantries supplement for 7 days, the folks will need help for maybe 15 days of food from the pantries. Many pantries struggle to meet the food needs of our community as it is. I know when my budget is tight, I shop only the sales at Fresh Market. If I had a family, I surely couldn’t afford to shop there at all. The food quality is excellent, but as far as total food volume and number of meals, you get less meals per dollar. I also did not notice anyone here referring or implying that anyone on SNAP was trash. In fact, quite the opposite, it seems quite the contrary. I think people are being very sensitive, but realistic.
#14…Mr.West….Have you ever stopped and tried to figure out WHY you live paycheck to paycheck ? Do you have any idea why the necessities of life are so high ? You need not look any further than your vote. By the way, how much did you spend on your computer ?
Isn’t it easier to just not fret about where other people do their shopping?
Chris, you class up the joint.
Dear Appledork,Just how do you think you can vote this problem away?Like I said before…unless you have lived it…your opinion is null and void.
James get your stores straight! it is fresh market dude!!
Your better start saving your Penny’s big eye. I have millions!! A penny a day keeps you away!!
Yes Chris…we’re all quite certain you’re a thousandaire.
Very interesting. Hard to fault a merchant from cashing in on SNAP, however it does show how far welfare programs have come. Here is a clip of an article from 1955 which outlines an early “feed the poor” program. Wonder where SNAP will be in another 30 years?
“This is in reply to your letter inquiring about surplus foods that will be available for eligible institutions, including hospitals. Foods acquired by the (Agriculture)Department under its price support and surplus removal programs may be made available to nonprofit school lunch programs, charitable institutions, including nonprofit hospitals, and to families and persons determined by appropriate state and local public welfare agencies to be in need. The foods currently available nationally include butter, cheese, nonfat dry milk solids, dried beans, rice, and shortening. Eggs, meats, and fruit juices are not available.”
The products were always delivered in bulk quantities, usually out of the back of a delivery truck. People who needed the food were in many cases too proud and maybe too embarrassed to line up to get it. Yes, you stood in line for it. It had a way of being redistributed to those in need by a relatively small number of people in many communities. Where we are today is that people defined as in need are now able to go to the finest boutique merchants and select from the premium food selection where their dollar will probably only net then 60 cents worth of goods. I somehow seem to recall a time when folks either came to a decision point of living the life the could pay for OR working to live the life they wanted. There are a lot of folks out there today who have “fallen upon hard times”. And there are a lot of folks out there who do not possess the education, skills or desire to pay for the life of their dreams, yet the are happy to have someone else pay for it for them. No pride, no embarrassment. Now, will someone make another cup of expresso for me and pass the chocolate mousse. And since it’s all free, forget the readi whip, I want real cream!
Man, so I have to wait in line behind a SNAP user buying a fresh Maine lobster, knowing that I helped pay for it? At least give me a claw!!!
Woooow… I hate to say it but these comments do not surprise me. People in Roanoke sure do think they are something special, don’t they?
Fresh Market has some amazing deals on quality meats (I love the current Saturday deal of wild gulf shrimp for $6/pound and lobster tails for $6/each) and dairy. They have a great produce selection. A SNAP recipient can utilize those sales to stretch their food dollar.
I’m really appalled to read comments like those expressed here, that somehow SNAP recipients are deadbeats and “trash”. Let those who express such sentiments sit down and try to make it on what SNAP recipients receive. Most SNAP recipients are the working poor, not lazy entitled “welfare queens” the media would have you believe.
Bubba, I’ll gladly get you some real cream…it’s much cheaper per ounce than the fake crap.
Your better start saving your Penny’s big eye. I have millions!! A penny a day keeps you away!!
Comment by Chris — February 10, 2013 @ 6:58 pm
Who is Penny? What does her big eye have to do with anything?
So Meghan, are you saying Roanokers who shop at FM see themselves as too good to have SNAPers shop along side them? OR are you saying you are shocked that SNAPers should feel they are entitled to eat what the best of Roanoke eats? Matter of factly, I could give a hoot where they shop or what they purchase however, I feel they should try to maximize the goods they get for the dollars they spend. It’s simple. Purchase the bread for $4.00 a loaf OR purchase the bread for $2.50 a loaf. Seems to me the Ag dept should bid out the program to folks like Walmart, Dollar Gen, Food Lion and any other retailer who wants to play. If retailer X bids a market basket of essential products for $80 and all other bidders price that same basket of goods at $100, then only authorize SNAPers to shop at the market of the lowest bidder but IF they still decide to shop at the higher priced market, reduce they amount they get by, in the example above, 20%. After all, it is our money they are spending. BTW, I read a report in the Telegraph UK that obesity kills 3 time more people than hunger. I see plenty of heavy weights who would probably improve their health with a few less calories. (Boy that’ll stir things up!)
Lori: Is your mousse fresh?
Bubba, you propose an interesting idea, in bidding out SNAP retailers. Such a program would obviously have to be done on a regional basis, and what happens when the winning retailer is not convenient to SNAP recipients? While Roanoke has 3 Wal-Marts and numerous Kroger and Food Lion retailers, more rural counties may have only 1 such store to serve the entire county. Often those folks end up getting meals at the corner store.
I would be in favor of educating SNAP recipients on simple home economics of purchasing and cooking healthy foods. Instead of buying 1 can of green beans for $1 which will only serve 3 people, you can buy a large bag of frozen beans that will serve more people over several meals. SNAP needs to be run like WIC – only certain foods should be eligible for purchase. No soda, no cookies, etc. After all, the program is called “Supplemental NUTRITION Assistance Program”, so shouldn’t the goal be assisting people with the purchase of nutritious foods?
“OR are you saying you are shocked that SNAPers should feel they are entitled to eat what the best of Roanoke eats?”
LOL. I wasn’t aware there were admission standards at Fresh Market! Bubba, who the heck do you think you are, exactly? Take a seat over there with Chris. So funny.
“The best of Roanoke” almost reads like satire. Hilarious.
Lori, the best development in SNAP allowance is that the local farmers’ markets are accepting the benefit, and with a great (I think) multiplying the benefit if spent at the market. So $1 worth of Kroger apples becomes $2 worth of apples at the market. It’s been going on for a couple of years, but at the market we shop at – Grandin – I spoke with several vendors who said that last summer they’d seen a big uptick in the SNAP recipients patronizing the market.
Silly me, I forgot to have a temper tantrum that SNAP recipients were shopping at the VERY SAME MARKET as us normal folk.
Lori: I’m sure my thought is riddled with potential problems but at the same time people on SNAP should be trying to maxamize their food dollar. I don’t go to FM very often as it’s simply too far away but it, like Whole Foods, is a super place. I find it hard to go in for anything and not get caught up in my desire to add a few extra items to the basket. So a planned visit to purchase something costing maybe $25 ends up at the checkout counter with a bill of $100 and most of it was really not necessary nor was it the best value…that is simply to say I could have gotten a similar product elswhere for much less. What still seems worthy of recognizing is how a program to distribute “government surplus” food products, which might be considered the early days of food programs, has changed from fundamentaly necessary provisions of a limited nature, to shopping at “the best” markets around and paying premium prices. With no ill intended to anyone, it does smack of what I think of when people talk “welfare mentality”.
SNAP needs to be run like WIC – only certain foods should be eligible for purchase. No soda, no cookies, etc.
My wife and I had that discussion last night, actually…and made the same quick about the NUTRITION in the name. I would like to see all nutritionally-devoid food products barred from eligibility…sodas and sugary drinks, ice cream, cookies, snack cakes, pies, etc. It would do a couple things: people would have to buy better alternatives that actually would be healthier and more nutritious, and perhaps the manufacturers of said items would develop ways to make them somewhat beneficial and less unhealthy, so as to get them approved. Maybe it’s a long shot, but it was a thought.
We cook almost every meal at home, usually using fresh ingredients. Most meals are pretty affordable to prepare (many average less than $1 per serving…though obviously when we have a steak that’s not the case…and we even cook low-fat, low-sugar, and gluten-free), and give us leftovers that we can have the next day for lunch, or a lazy second-day dinner.
The problem is, a lot of people really just don’t have a clue how to cook! My wife and I sat in stunned amazement several years ago, when we watched a series on Oprah’s show dealing with families in debt, needing help. One family had a huge house, and a nice, big kitchen. They were in debt terribly, and it became clear why: they always ate out. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner…it was all pick-up/take-out, delivery, or dining out. They would eat in the kitchen and sometimes reheat leftovers, but that was it. I don’t think they even had proper cookware! They did the math and spent something like $4000 a month to eat, for 4 people. With the help of a financial planner, a culinary specialist, and a meal planner…they demonstrated they could feed the family for about $600 a month by cooking at home.
One upside to shopping at FM v Kroger…there’s a lot less junk to choose from. Why shouldn’t people who need a hand have access to high-quality food? Especially when there are kids in the home…everyone benefits from better food.
OtherJohn, if you ever look at the food assistance we give other countries…it’s things like rice, flour, beans, basics. 95% of America would continue to starve given supplies like that, for want of a clue about what to do with them.
Oh Kristen your are such a card and so smart arnt ya!!Can we go fresh marketing!!
Kristen: You need to take a refresher course in kindie-garter reading. The comment you note was asked of Lori in an effort to have her explain what her meaning was to a prior post. She appeared to express a surprise at EITHER the SNAPers shopping at FM as an expectation of entitlement OR at the way some posters appeared to express the feeling that they and FM were too good for SNAPers. BTW, I’ll give you a hint as to what to do with beans. Eat them and blow some more gas! What a wonderful assessment of 95% of America, that they do not know how to feed themselves.
Al, you remain unintelligible.
I don’t see where any of my posts were ambiguous. Bubba, perhaps you’re talking about this post by Meghan:
Woooow… I hate to say it but these comments do not surprise me. People in Roanoke sure do think they are something special, don’t they?
Comment by Meghan — February 11, 2013 @ 9:16 am
Kristen – I love that SNAP recipients can shop at Farmer’s Markets. Roanoke has some of the best markets around, with an abundance of great, fresh food. You & OJ are right though – people don’t know how to cook. That’s why I think that the USDA or the VA Cooperative Extension should team up with area food banks to educate people on how to cook with things like dry beans and fresh produce.
Lori: You are correct, it was not your post that I questioned, sorry ’bout that, but I do take it you see what I was questioning. As far as teaching people how to cook, we part ways there. Where does it stop? People in this country are falling all over the handouts available to them AND they basically take it all for granted while tending to expect more. Next, we are supposed to teach them to cook as well. It sounds like a nice research project for a group of grade schoolers and I’m sure it would make a good story for the “Making a Difference” spot on NBC Nightly News but really. Should we hold the tissue and ask them to blow their little noses or wipe their little butts! Funny however, a close associate is in education and that’s exactly what is expected of some teachers with some students. What a screwed up world!
Now, don’t go nuts on me. I’m really a kind natured person and it does trouble me that while we have “invested” so much in the war on poverty (remember that one?) yet we have people who cannot cook the food we offer them. I’m generous too. Just working on my taxes and my giving seems to know no ends. Well, actually, it not exactly “freely given” but believe me I send more to the govt today that many people earn. Of course I’m supposed to be happy about that, right. I realistically spend nearly 100% of my time, apart from sleeping, trying to bust my pick and mine the gold all the while some sit around and say, “What me worry?”
Yes Lord, they have seen the promised land and are now living “the life of their dreams” because they can shop at Fresh Market. If you think it is so luxurious, quit your job and we will help you have lobster too.
Say what you like about “them”, this thread told on you. When you begrudge people shopping for groceries as they see fit you have gone too far.
I really wonder sometimes what some of you expect the poor and the working poor to do, besides not crash your grocery heaven that is.
I am a college educated former welfare recipient now retired and on Social Security. The higher price, quality and variety of produce… the less you over eat, and lose weight. SNAP!
Patricia, good for you. Congrats on your
achievements.