Food is an essential item that fuels the body and brings people together. Vendors selling a variety of produce, grains and dairy products attend farmers markets across the Hays County region.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps residents in eligible low-income households buy food, according to the Texas Health and Human Services. Those utilizing the SNAP program may use their benefits to purchase products at select farmers’ markets across the state.
The gist
When shopping at a participating farmers’ market, SNAP beneficiaries should first locate the main information booth.
Shoppers will swipe the SNAP Lone Star Card and be provided with currency to be used at the market on eligible items, according to Texas Farmers Markets.
The impact
SNAP is essential to providing nutritional support to working families with low-paying jobs, low-income adults 60 years and older and those with disabilities living on fixed incomes, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, or CBPP.
Texas had 1.6 million households utilize the SNAP program in September 2025, the most recently reported state data, according to the most recent data from the Texas Health and Human Services. There were 3.5 million individuals who were eligible to receive benefits in the same month.
Hays County had 6,843 households utilize the program and 15,562 eligible individuals in January 2026, according to the most recent data from the Texas Health and Human Services.
The program is the second-most responsive federal program offering assistance to citizens during and after downturns in the economy, only after unemployment insurance, according to the CBPP.
