Logos for SNAP, HIP and FMNP

Food assistance: Stretch your food budget!


Need help stretching your food budget?

Our homepage has two flyers that will help you with HIP (free produce for SNAP recipients), SNAP matches, and dozens of places to get food all year round.

“We’ve been eating better this season!”‍ ‍
— A shopper who was new to our food assistance program.

Get more fresh, healthy food

Here’s an overview of our food assistance program. Details below. Download our list of winter markets with SNAP and HIP benefits.

  • We double your SNAP benefits every week, up to an extra $25. Buy any food items that are part of SNAP.

  • We double WIC & Senior FMNP coupons, which come out in July.

  • The Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) gives SNAP recipients free produce. Shop at Dick’s Market Garden, Hutchins Farm, and Nicewicz Family Farm.

  • Our own HIP+ program gives you an extra $20 per month for produce.

Read details below, and download our brochures.

Steve Savarese, Senné Realtor, is our lead sponsor for emergency food assistance.
Cambridge Savings Bank awarded us a grant to support food assistance.

BFM helps fight food insecurity in many ways

HIP+ was new in the 2025 season When the state cut HIP benefits, we created HIP+, our own program to help our neighbors. We added over $22,000 to help people s-t-r-e-t-c-h their food budgets in the 2025 season. HIP funding was restored, and we’re continuing to offer HIP+ in 2026.

Steve Savarese, Senné Realtor, is the lead sponsor for our HIP+ program.

SNAP & SUN Bucks: Double your benefits

We double your SNAP benefits up to $25 per week, so you can buy more healthy local food. We also double SUN Bucks, which helps helps low-income families with school-aged children buy food when schools are closed for the summer. 

Come to the Manager’s Tent to get tokens for any SNAP-approved items at Belmont Farmers’ Market. They do not expire.

Our SNAP match was over $29,000 in 2025.

HIP: Free produce from enrolled farms

The Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) gives SNAP shoppers free produce from HIP farms. If you have SNAP, you already have HIP!

You get $40, $60 or $80 per month, depending on household size. You can now use all of your HIP funds in a single swipe as along as you have any balance on your SNAP card.

HIP is funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Our HIP farmers provided $20,000 in HIP benefits in 2025.

FMNP: Double value for coupons

We match Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons (FMNP) for WIC families and eligible seniors. Take them to a participating vendor, and spend double the amount of the coupons on eligible products. Details, including eligibility (at mass.gov).

Our FMNP vendors are Dick’s Market Garden, The Good Food Farm, Hutchins Farm, and Nicewicz Family Farm.

Our FMNP match was $1950 in 2025.

Support our food assistance programs!
Please make a personal donation, or
a sponsorship from your business.

Donate

How to get benefits

Applying for SNAP

SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It is a federal program run by the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance.

See the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ website with information on eligibility and applying for SNAP and the USDA details about what you can and cannot buy with SNAP benefits.

Applying for HIP & getting HIP+

If you have SNAP, you automatically have HIP. Everyone is eligible to get our HIP+ benefit. Just come to the Manager’s Tent.

Getting FMNP coupons

In our area, Springwell gives out Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) coupons for eligible seniors. You can also contact the Belmont Council on Aging for information.

WIC families are eligible for WIC FMNP coupons. Contact your local WIC office for details. There are offices in Arlington, Watertown, and Cambridge.

Contact Project Bread for advice

Call the Project Bread FoodSource Hotline to find out more. Calls are free and confidential. 800-645-8333.

More information

Our opening day Food Assistance Information Fair has information about benefits, and informs the community that food insecurity is everywhere, including Belmont.

You also get extra benefits from the state: help with childcare and transportation, discounted admission to museums, and reduced fares on the MBTA.

Brochures and videos