The farmers aren’t losing any money, Buckingham explained, because the grant money pays them the difference.

“The farmers are in fact benefiting because people who normally wouldn’t use farmers markets are able to afford the food there,” she said. “It’s helping our local economy through direct sales.”

Last year, for a pilot project, CFAC raised nearly $20,000 locally.

“It was really quite successful and we didn’t have enough funds to serve all the people interested in the program,” Buckingham said.

The grant from the USDA comes from the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. The grants are competitive, and the USDA handed out nearly $16.8 million total to community organizations across the country.

“USDA is committed to providing low income families with the resources they need to consume more nutritious food," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement. "Last year, SNAP kept at least 4.7 million Americans – including 2.1 million children – out of poverty. Programs like FINI build on the success we've seen with the use of healthy incentives and with many of the projects being run at farmers markets, we're also helping to strengthen local and regional food systems."