FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Maine — September 21, 2026 — Big news for Maine farmers’ markets: Maine Harvest Bucks is back to a 100% match, effective Monday, September 21.
SNAP/EBT shoppers who spend their benefits at participating Maine Harvest Bucks farmers’ markets and farm stands will once again receive a matching one dollar in Maine Harvest Bucks vouchers for every dollar spent with SNAP. The vouchers can be used directly with over 70 participating farmers’ markets, CSAs, and farm stands to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as plants to grow food. The program is run by the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets (MFFM), a statewide nonprofit organization that supports and promotes farmers’ markets through various programs, resources, training, and fiscal agency services.
The return to a full match comes at an especially important time for Maine’s agricultural community: right in the middle of harvest season, when farmers have an abundance of fresh food to share and shoppers are looking to stock up on bulk storage crops like carrots, potatoes, onions, squash, and cabbage for the winter months ahead. With the ongoing affordability crisis,
Additional funding makes the full match possible
The renewed 100% match is possible thanks to the State of Maine’s release of additional Nutrition Incentive funding through LD 468 at the end of July this year, combined with grassroots fundraising by MFFM and generous donations to the program.
With these additional resources, Maine Harvest Bucks now expects to have sufficient funding to maintain the 100% match for the fall and winter farmers’ market season, at least through April 2027.
“Maine Harvest Bucks is the lynchpin of our statewide programs,” said Emily Grassie, MFFM Director of Food Access Programs. “We are thrilled to be able to restore the 100% match right in the middle of harvest season. This means SNAP/EBT shoppers can stretch their food budgets further while farmers and producers benefit from more sales of the food they’ve worked so hard to grow.”
Maine Harvest Bucks is also a key reason SNAP/EBT is accepted at more than 70 markets and farms across the state, helping connect Maine families with locally grown food while directing food dollars back into Maine’s agricultural economy. The program generates over $950,000 in direct, full-price retail sales to participating vendors each year.
“We’re relieved to be able to offer this full match again—not only for the shoppers who can stretch their food budgets a little further this fall and winter, but also for the hardworking farmers and producers who depend on these sales to keep growing,” Grassie said. The match was dropped to 50% last September due to federal funding uncertainties and cutbacks.
Support Maine Harvest Bucks
While the additional state funding and summer fundraising have made it possible to sustain the 100% match through the coming seasons, MFFM’s continued fundraising will remain essential to keeping Maine Harvest Bucks thriving into the future.
Maine Harvest Bucks is a vital part of Maine’s local food system, creating greater access to locally grown food while supporting the farmers and producers who feed our communities.
Learn more about Maine Harvest Bucks and its impact on Maine’s food system:
maineharvestbucks.org
Media Contact:
Emily Grassie
Director of Food Access Programs – Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets (MFFM)
[email protected]
207 745 2269