WHAT: On Thursday, July 7, the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) will host a press conference to announce that New York State has taken action to make as many as 750,000 additional households eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), helping to reduce food insecurity among working New Yorkers. The State has adopted the recommendation of Governor Cuomo’s Anti-Hunger Task Force to increase the amount working families can earn and still qualify for SNAP.

OTDA will be joined by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to also announce the availability of FreshConnect Checks for SNAP consumers at participating farmers’ markets across the state. FreshConnect Checks provide a $2 incentive for every $5 in SNAP benefits used. This year, funding for the program increased to $425,000, and the program is also operating year-round.

WHEN: 10 a.m., Thursday, July 7, 2016

WHERE: City of Rochester Public Market*, 280 Union St., Rochester, NY 14609 (near the SNAP token distribution building)

WHO: Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Samuel D. Roberts

Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren

Hunger Solutions New York Executive Director Linda Bopp

Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg

Dr. Stephen Cook, Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Center for Community Health, University of Rochester Medical Center

Marty Maxwell, Rochester resident who formerly received nutrition assistance

*The City of Rochester Public Market is home to the largest SNAP redemption program of any farmers' market in the country. SNAP benefits are exchanged for wooden tokens, which act as cash within the market for purchasing food. The City of Rochester Public Market sold $624,000 tokens in 2015, to more than 7,000 customers.