What’s the Healthy Incentives Program?
Extra SNAP money for local fruits and vegetables: $40 – 80 every month!
UPDATE: Find CISA’s list of active HIP vendors in the Pioneer Valley here.
HIP is an innovative program in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that rewards SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) recipients with extra benefits when they use SNAP to purchase fruits, vegetables, and food-producing plants at farmers markets, farmstands, CSAs, and mobile markets. Look for the HIP sign for participating vendors.
Administered by the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), HIP is the first program of its kind established in the U.S.
HIP matches SNAP benefits dollar-for-dollar at participating venues. By using HIP, SNAP recipients can earn back up to:
- $40 monthly (for 1 – 2 people)
- $60 monthly (for 3 -5 people)
- $80 monthly (for 6+ people)
Benefits of HIP
For SNAP recipients, HIP:
- increases access to fresh, local produce and helps stretch SNAP dollars without extra paperwork
- rewards SNAP recipients for buying local produce at designated locations
- allows SNAP recipients to grow their own fruits and vegetables, if they choose, by purchasing food-producing plants and seeds.
For the state economy, HIP:
- has provided local farmers who are HIP vendors with more than $9 million in revenue, increasing the amount of state income tax collected from these vendors
- increases access to nutritious foods for SNAP recipients which may mean lower health care costs for state-run health programs
- broadens the customer base for many small, local farms struggling to increase revenue, thus improving the local economy
HIP Frequently Asked Questions (translated)
HIP Resources
Winter HIP Lists
SNAP Brochures (translated)
SNAP Update
SNAP application assistance is still available via phone at (413) 992-6204. Please check our SNAP page for more information.
