SNAP-to-Cash: How food assistance vouchers were traded for cash at the Heart of the City Farmers’ Market
Full article coauthored with DC Posch at The Voice of San Francisco.
At the Heart of the City Farmers’ Market, Jessica waits in line. She is slouched forward in the characteristic fentanyl fold, supporting her weight by leaning heavily on a wire pushcart. At the front of the line, she produces her Calfresh EBT card. The farmers’ market clerk charges her card $30 and gives her paper vouchers — $30 in regular SNAP vouchers valid at the farmers’ market, plus an extra $60 in vouchers from Market Match, a program that describes itself as “California’s healthy food incentive program.” Ostensibly, this program subsidizes low-income recipients’ purchases of fruits and vegetables.
However, Jessica — wearing a puffy jacket and pajama pants, looking like she’s in her 50s but probably younger — is not here to buy fruits and vegetables. Instead of going to a farmers’ market stall, she takes them to a nearby group of older Cantonese women, their faces concealed behind surgical masks and sunhats, hovering a few yards away. Jessica gives her vouchers to one of these women, who counts the $90 in vouchers and gives Jessica $50 in clean green bills. Cash in hand, Jessica departs. The purchased vouchers are then turned in to the farmers’ market organizers, and reimbursed by check as though they had actually been received in legitimate transactions. The whole transaction takes place in clear view, only a few yards from the Market Match tent and the security guard.
Jessica is a composite character, not a real individual, representative of the many people we observed and interviewed who sell their SNAP vouchers. It’s easy to guess what they do with the cash. Multiple fentanyl addicts confirmed to us that they regularly get their drugs by selling SNAP at the farmer’s market. “If you want to buy drugs and not food, you can do it,” says one. We asked another addict if he buys snacks with the cash. “No. I buy dope, man.”
Continue reading my full article at The Voice of San Francisco.