Charlottesville’s City Market is covering some of the cost of produce for food stamp recipients navigating the chaos that has unfolded since the federal program lapsed at the start of the month.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as SNAP or food stamps, lapsed Nov. 1, one month after Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation for the 2026 fiscal year. Republicans and Democrats remain at loggerheads over the latter’s demand for an extension of expiring tax credits that make health insurance cheaper for Americans and a reversal of President Donald Trump’s $1 cuts to Medicaid. The shutdown, now entering its sixth week, is the longest in U.S. history.
While Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Oct. 28 that the state would be covering the cost of SNAP for the more than 850,000 low-income Virginians who qualify, it is unclear how long that will last or how stable state assistance will be.
The governor himself said, “This system and this process has never been done before at the state level.”
Adding to the chaos, the Supreme Court on Friday paused a previous order from a lower court the said SNAP benefits should be paid for November and the Trump administration on Saturday instructed states to fund only 65% of SNAP benefits.
“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized,” reads a memo from the Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP.
“States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025,” the memo continues. “Failure to comply with this memorandum may result in USDA taking various actions, including cancellation of the Federal share of State administrative costs and holding States liable.”
To make things easier for food stamp recipients, the Charlottesville City Market is promoting a “Harvest Special,” a statewide initiative led by the Virginia Fresh Match program, a network of farmers markets, mobile markets and community food stores across Virginia.
City Market customers who are on SNAP will receive an extra $20 in free Virginia Fresh Match tokens each week in November, no matter how much they spend at the farmers market in downtown Charlottesville.
That is in addition to the usual Virginia Fresh Match incentive that doubles SNAP benefits on fruits and vegetables.
City Market customers must present their SNAP cards at the market’s information booth at 100 E. Water St. during business hours between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
That card will be swiped for the amount the customer would like to spend on SNAP, according to the city, and customers will receive their usual dollar-for-dollar match plus the additional $20 in free Virginia Fresh Match tokens. Even customers with a $0 balance on their SNAP card will receive the tokens, the city promised.
“Virginia Fresh Match makes a huge difference for our customers,” City Market Manager Justin McKenzie said in a statement announcing the special. “It helps families put more healthy, local food on their tables and supports the farmers who feed our community. The Harvest Special is a great way to support local families and farmers in uncertain times during the holiday season.”
November is the last month the City Market is open before it closes for the year. The market reopens in April.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com