Laura Hill, VP of the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition, speaks at a news conference about the SNAP Stretch program funding extension at Capitol Market in Charleston on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
Lucas Hill holds onto his mom, Laura Hill, at a news conference about the SNAP Stretch program funding extension at Capitol Market in Charleston on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
Laura Hill, VP of the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition, speaks at a news conference about the SNAP Stretch program funding extension at Capitol Market in Charleston on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
Lucas Hill holds onto his mom, Laura Hill, at a news conference about the SNAP Stretch program funding extension at Capitol Market in Charleston on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
CHARLESTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” SNAP Stretch ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” a program aimed at helping individuals and families make the most of their EBT/SNAP benefits for the purchase of fresh produce ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” has received $360,000 worth of funding from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.
It's part of the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget that Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed in April. The program was paused last August due to lack of funds, causing some instability to the program.
On Thursday, program representatives and leaders celebrated the funding infusion at Capitol Market, 800 Smith St., in Charleston, and shared West Virginia SNAP Stretch success stories.
Laura Hill, vice president of the , said the program has helped 79,000 families, with participants reporting increased fruit and vegetable consumption. Operated by the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition, SNAP Stretch allows users to swipe their EBT card at participating markets, and the amount they receive will be doubled if it's used to purchase fruits and vegetables.
"Depending on the age, size of family, you could double or triple the amount of fruit and vegetables you can purchase at these stores," Hill said.
include Capitol Market in Charleston, The Wild Ramp in Huntington, the Putnam Farmers Market in Hurricane and the Fayette County Farmers Market in Oak Hill.
Hoping for long-term legislative support
Bethany Lewis, SNAP Stretch program director, said that funding for the program is now in the Department of Agriculture's state budget line item and will have to be voted on annually.
"That is the important part of why we're here today," Lewis said. "To get the awareness out and to show the need and the impact in the next several months before the next legislative session so that the legislature will support us again."
Program leaders are already thinking bigger, hoping to use the state investment as leverage for federal matching funds.
"We can see [in] the next four years a million-dollar investment from the state of West Virginia and then we can request another million dollars federally," Lewis said.Â
Currently, SNAP Stretch benefits can be used in 40 participating markets in 35Â West Virginia counties. Continued funding would help the program reach every county and involve more farmers markets and independent grocers.
For now, West Virginia families can continue to make their SNAP dollars stretch and support local agriculture and markets at the same time.
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