Using EBT & CalFresh (SNAP) for our CSA and participating in Market Match
You can pay for your CSA with EBT!
For those with CalFresh (SNAP) there is a 50% discount via the Market Match program.
At Singing Frogs Farm, making our Nutrient Dense Produce available to everyone is important to us! We have accepted EBT since 2014 and in 2024 are excited to be able to accept it online. In fact, our goal is to have 10% of our boxes go out to CalFresh members.
Singing Frogs Farm partners with Petaluma Bounty and the Ecology Center to have Market Match funds to pay for 50% the cost of CSA boxes for anyone using CalFresh funds from their EBT card.
These funds can be used for CSA subscriptions and associated add-ons.
If you do not receive EBT but want to support the Market Match program, you can help by donating to the program or our partner who makes it possible for our farm. Donations will not go directly to our farm, but support these awesome programs overall.
How our CSA works with EBT Payment
CSA is traditionally, a long-term farmer and farm supporter relationship
Joining a CSA means joining a farm for the long-term and sharing the harvest through the seasons. See our FAQs page “What is CSA?” for more on this.
For those members not paying via EBT, they are billed via their credit card every 4 or 13 boxes (their choice). They choose to have weekly or bi-weekly boxes and they have the ability to put boxes on hold when they’re unable to pick up.
For EBT members billing every week or two weeks at a time
FNS regulations (Food and Nutrition Services, part of USDA that manages SNAP) regulations firmly state that we cannot charge EBT members more than 14 days in advance. As such payment of the CSA for EBT payment works differently.
Billing is weekly, or optionally every two weeks in advance April - November. EBT members must enter their EBT Pin every week or two week billing prior to CSA to be charged for and then receive a box. This also allows EBT members to opt not to receive a box when their benefits are out or when it’s not convenient for them.
How does this work?
The Farm sends out an email every Friday afternoon with the Anticipated Harvest for the following week. That email additionally contains any Add-On items available for purchase (this includes produce and flowers from our farm as well as goods such as grains, beans, nuts, and medicinal syrups).
EBT members may then log onto their account and purchase the upcoming CSA box and Add-Ons with their SNAP and/or EBT Cash. This must be done by 5pm Monday, the order deadline.
Wednesday mornings, everyone scheduled for a box may receive a reminder email or text. Wednesday early afternoon boxes will be available for pick-up Wednesday afternoon and evening and potentially Thursday (based on the pick-up site).
Any boxes not picked up have already been paid for, so cannot be refunded.
Long-Term Commitment with EBT Payment
Although the EBT billing allows for intermittent boxes, when you sign up for a membership we do request there still be a long-term relationship. If you are receiving fewer than one box a month, we may check in to make sure that it’s the right fit.
If you have any questions about this process…
… reach out to Farmer Elizabeth or one of our CSA managing Crew members via email.
How to Sign Up
Please start by reaching out to Farmer Elizabeth by email. CSA membership may be closed due to our waitlist but we may have space in our EBT spots and she can send you a link.
Still, here are the step-by-step how to sign up:
Make a log-in account with CSAware (this is our billing software)
Go to the Store and choose CSA subscription OR use link from Elizabeth
Watch video on how to sign up. It goes fast so here are written instructions:
0:10 Choose size of box and billing frequency. In actuality there is no billing frequency of 1 week as in video, choose any frequency. It will give you a pop up, telling you it will default to 1 delivery billing per SNAP rules. Please accept. This frequency is only available for SNAP/EBT customers.
Note: the 50% Match Grant will cover both box sizes.
0:18 Choose pick-up site.
For those who have been at Catholic Charities, you do not need to stay there if there is a more convenient site.
0:24 Check Out
IMPORTANT! You must enter the coupon code for SNAP to receive Market Match (Farmer Elizabeth will give you this)
0:39 Billing information. A couple notes here:
Enter your EBT Card number.
You can pay with EBT Cash (if you have the benefit) but I don’t recommend it as the Match Grant is only for SNAP funds.
You can also at some point in the future enter a Credit Card say if you run out of EBT funds or want to buy something not SNAP/EBT eligible.
What is CalFresh, SNAP and EBT
CalFresh (formerly known as food stamps) helps people with limited income pay for food. CalFresh can be used at most grocery stores, when ordering groceries online at select retailers and at farmers markets that accept an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. Benefits are provided on an EBT card that works like a debit card. CalFresh benefits are not a loan and do not need to be paid back.
CalFresh is a nutrition program, funded by the USDA, which also funds free lunches at schools and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). CalFresh is not the same as CalWORKs or welfare. The CalFresh Program is federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outside of California.