TOANO— KelRae Farm has announced that they are officially joining the Virginia Fresh Match Program to help local SNAP families receive fresh fruits and vegetables. The farm will also be hosting a launch event on March 26.
According to the program’s official website, Virginia Fresh Match is a program operated through a network of farmers’ markets, mobile markets, farm stores, and community food stores that helps anyone who shops with SNAP or EBT 50% off all fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as food-producing seedlings and herb bundles.
“The farmer is getting more of a benefit where people are inclined to shop there, but also, the people that need it most, and are struggling with food insecurity, are also getting it at a discount,” said Cordelia Branscome, the Marketing & Operations Coordinator at KelRae Farm.
Branscome said that the farm has a history of working with different food pantries such as Grove Christian Outreach Center, Williamsburg House of Mercy, and Proclaiming Grayson. The relationship with various food pantries goes back around 15 years and only grew when the COVID-19 Pandemic hit.
Several years ago, KelRae Farm had qualified to accept EBT at its market store. When COVID hit and shut down local markets, KelRae noted that farmers were considered non-essential workers. It was from that the farm created its online farmers’ market.
“But that entire group of individuals, all of a sudden, were very, very limited to where they could shop using their EBT cards,” said head farmer and co-owner of KelRae Farm, Michelle Gulden. “Obviously, that particular group of individuals was somebody who needed their EBT cards most importantly. So that became a goal for me to try and continue to help support these individuals.”
“They definitely see the need and end up working a lot in food security. So it just kind of made sense, like, of course, this is something that they’d want to take on,” Branscome added.
The farm applied and waited for a while before it finally received approval to be accepted into the EBT program. Virginia Fresh Match is a grant-funded program that requires approval and requires the acceptance of EBT to be eligible.
The Virginia Fresh Match Launch & Learn at KelRae Farm will be held on Thursday, March 26, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event will include short remarks, sampling, community partners, and displays. Attendees include several of the food pantries in the area. The farm says it has also reached out to the James City County Senior Support Program, as it also has individuals who qualify for EBT. The event is described as being casual.
KelRae Farm has its store open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for now, but will expand to summer hours soon. To learn more about the farm and its offerings, please visit the official website.
