To our Farm Community,
Brookwood Community Farm was established to improve access to healthy food for local residents and under-served communities. The MA Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) is a crucial feature for households using SNAP. HIP puts money back on your EBT card when you use SNAP to buy healthy, local fruits and vegetables from HIP farm vendors.
In December 2024 HIP was scaled back from a reimbursement amount of $40, $60, or $80 depending on household size, to $20 regardless of household size. Governor Maura Healey requested $25 million in her Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal to fully fund the HIP. The final budget provided $15 million, leaving a $10 million deficit.
As a HIP retailer, our farm is experiencing first-hand the effect this deficit has on our community members and business. In 2024 we received over $8,000 in SNAP transactions vending at the Roslindale Farmers Market and our Farm Stand. Almost all of what we sell is HIP eligible except for honey, maple syrup, and t-shirts, which means many people come to us to use their HIP benefits to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Although we have not started vending at either of these locations yet, we expect this income to be reduced significantly in 2025.
For the last several years, we have also participated in a
SNAP CSA pilot program, which offers a chance for people to use their SNAP benefit to purchase a half veggie share (valued at approximately $75/month), and Brookwood covers the rest of the value through fundraising. The cost to participants was $40 per month, the minimum HIP amount, meaning that our customers were reimbursed $40 for using SNAP to get fresh produce. To continue access to this program in alignment with our mission, we will now only charge $20, the new monthly HIP allocation, for participation in this program.
Today our Assistant Farm Manager, Deven, spoke about the personal and communal effects of this change at the State House during the HIP Lobby Day organized by the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative. This campaign calls on our legislators to support a complete restoration of funding to the HIP budget in FY2025 and other legislation that aligns with the expansion of the local food economy in Massachusetts.
Please read more about the HIP campaign here. We are calling on all our farm supporters to make your voice heard and let your legislators know that you support local farmers and your neighbors. Use the button below for guidance on reaching your legislators to support this vital initiative.
