Northbrook Farmers Market Gives Free Money to SNAP Recipients

Do you know someone who uses a Link card? Northbrook Farmers Market again offers its matching grant program to families enrolled in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly food stamps).

To date, the farmers market has given out more than $100,000 to shoppers with a Link card.

The matching grant program helps turn the freshest food in town into the best bargain in town for those on tight budgets, meaning SNAP customers who visit the farmers market can double their grocery dollars to make healthy meals for their family.

“Helping provide farm fresh food to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it is one of the core missions of the market,” said Juliet Ziak, Northbrook Farmers Market program director. "It's been our conviction since early on that those with fewer resources be able to enjoy the pleasures and benefits of shopping at our market just like everyone else."

The farmers market matches the amount Link card holders withdraw from their SNAP account with an equal amount of free money on site at the market throughout the season.

Open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays, through Oct. 8, in the parking lot at Cherry Lane and Meadow Road, downtown Northbrook, the market is handicapped accessible with plenty of on-site free parking.

To find out more about the program, visit www.northbrookfarmersmarket.org, where there is also a link to the Illinois Dept. of Human Services to apply for a Link card.

Northbrook Farmers Market is an all-volunteer, charitable organization recently named by Chicago Public Media as one of 15 markets in all of Chicagoland "worth a visit."