San Juan County food‑access partners expand incentives and warn of federal cuts to SNAP‑Ed funding

SAN JUAN COUNTY, Wash. — County SNAP‑Ed staff and local food‑bank leaders told the San Juan County Board of Health on May 21 about programs that boost local food purchases and distribution, and they warned that federal and state funding changes could reduce some supports.

Kristen Rezbeck, the county’s health and nutrition coordinator, outlined multiple locally run produce‑incentive initiatives and state programs that the county has recently enrolled in. She also warned that a pending federal reconciliation bill had eliminated SNAP‑Ed in committee language and could limit education and outreach funding.

“Unfortunately, we did learn from our state leadership that the agricultural reconciliation bill in the House completely eliminated SNAP Ed funding,” Rezbeck said. She told the board the county would not know until summer whether federal SNAP‑Ed funding would be restored.

Rezbeck described three incentive programs that direct dollars to local growers and farmers markets: Fresh Bucks (discounts at Orcas Community Co‑op and San Juan Island markets), the state SNAP Produce Match and the SNAP Market Match, which provides token matches at approved markets. She reported that Orcas’ Fresh Bucks enrolled 134 households in 2024 and distributed $12,603 in benefits; San Juan Island’s program enrolled 192 households and distributed about $28,000 in 2024.

Rezbeck also discussed the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) for WIC clients and seniors, noting low redemption rates for distributed vouchers last year (about 20% of WIC dollars and 42% of senior vouchers were redeemed), and she said the county is testing “farmer’s choice” produce bags and transportation help to increase uptake among seniors and residents with limited access.

Food‑bank leaders described rising demand and local distribution models. Rachel Rodonsky, executive director of the Friday Harbor Food Bank, said the food bank reported 13,906 client visits in the first quarter and separately reported 151 unduplicated households (508 individuals) in the same reporting period; the pantry runs in‑store shopping, an online ordering pickup window, island deliveries and supplemental Meals‑on‑Wheels bags for seniors.

“Customers get to decide what they want,” Rodonsky said of the online ordering program, which the food bank uses to serve outer islands via mail boat and to let families pick up groceries without standing in line.

Barbara Schulteis and Pedro (Lopez Food Share) described Lopez Food Share’s operations: roughly 12,000 pounds of food distributed per month, about $140,000 of food value supplied yearly (with approximately $110,000 used to purchase wholesale food and $30,000 allocated to local farmers), and large donations from programs such as TFAP and local farms. Schulteis warned that cuts to federal TFAP donations could require the Food Share to purchase $25,000–$50,000 of replacement food annually.

She also described a Locust Food Center project, a proposed new facility intended to provide an ADA‑accessible pantry, community kitchen, food hub and a small event space. Schulteis said the project has secured $2 million in the state capital budget, has raised more than $4 million in community donations, and has applied for additional federal earmarks; design, land‑use and building permits are in progress with construction hoped for late 2025 or early 2027 if other funding arrives.

Orcas Island’s food‑bank partner reported similar demand: Amanda Sparks (reporting via Kristen) told staff that her pantry serves about 604 unduplicated clients monthly and distributed roughly 33,000 pounds of food in the most recent month; she estimates a maximum weekly grocery savings of about $244 for households of up to three people and $488 for larger households when clients use pantry offerings.

Rezbeck closed by noting local partnerships and recent grants that have helped buy local meat and produce, and she requested board awareness of funding risks. “We probably won’t learn till summer if there is indeed any funding for SNAP Ed to really support some of these efforts,” she said.

No formal board action was taken; presenters requested continued collaboration among county staff, food banks, farmers and philanthropy as state and federal funding decisions unfold.