Working for a vendor at the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market, I’ve learned that you can’t really tell who’s going to use LINK tokens when they visit your stand. Let’s face it; a lot of us have struggled with difficult circumstances in the past several years, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is critical in enabling low-income citizens to have access to the food they need for good health.
At last week’s market, one of my friends at another booth was able to help a couple of customers who had a LINK card but didn’t realize they could use it at the market. As she told me, “… as we talked and the facts sank in, you’d have thought we gave them Christmas.”
You probably know someone who uses the SNAP program. I wonder how many people who participate don’t realize what a wonderful place a farmers market is to take advantage of those benefits. 
Since 2008, farmers markets authorized to process LINK benefits in Illinois have expanded from 9 to 119. In that period (through 2014), SNAP redemptions increased by 23959.9%. That’s not a misprint! The USDA Food and Nutrition Service has that information and much more. You can find it by clicking here.
Our market is made even more appealing because Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets offers a matching program, which doubles SNAP purchases dollar for dollar, up to $50 dollars of matching. In other words, families and Link card users get twice the dollar value when they use their SNAP benefits at the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market.
So, if you know someone who uses the SNAP program, make sure they know about the market and the Friends’ matching program. All that information is right here. And if those friends don’t live near Evanston, they should check out Link Up Illinois. There are lots of markets where SNAP incentives are offered.
You’re doing a big favor for your friend, for the vendors your visit every week at the market and for everyone who benefits from a busy, vital farmers market in their community.
