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Farmers market Benefits:
Illinois link Card Holders Gain more Access
by Judith Nemes
Chicago residents who feed their families using food stamp benefits have new access this season to the bounty of local, fresh produce at a handful of farmers markets. Until recently, most markets accepted only cash, leaving Chicagoans who use Link cards, Illinois’ debit cards for food stamp purchases, to forage for fresh fruits and veggies at their neighborhood grocery stores – if they could even find them.
It’s been a long time coming, say many food activists in the Chicago area. Currently there are an estimated 600,000 Chicago residents who use Link cards. This means farmers markets will now have much broader exposure in the community and can put local, healthy food on even more tables, says Dennis Ryan, Market Manager of the 61st Street Farmers Market in Woodlawn. Chicago Link card recipients make up a diverse group, including families living in lower-income neighborhoods, seniors and college students.
“People have been talking about these programs for the past 10 years,” observes Harry Rhodes, Executive Director of Growing Home, Inc., a non-profit farm in Englewood. Growing Home is dedicated to growing local, organic vegetables and providing farming job skills to disadvantaged individuals. “I think a lot of the initiative and impetus came from the independent markets, but (First Lady)Michelle Obama’s White House garden and her program to combat obesity has brought the issue to the forefront as well.”
The 61st Street Farmers Market has been taking Link cards for a couple of years. With the help of a grant from the non-profit Wholesome Wave Foundation, the market can offer a bonus to double the value (up to $25) of what cardholders spend each time they visit, according to Ryan. He is also helping three other south side markets – Bronzeville, Englewood and north Lawndale – roll out a similar extra value program this season. Logan Square Market and Green City Market in Lincoln Park are now accepting Link cards too.
After years of food activists prodding the city to accept Link cards at its 19 farmers markets scattered throughout Chicago, the Mayor’s Office of Special Events finally launched a pilot program this summer to test the waters at five of its locations.
With assistance from Experimental Station, the non-profit that also runs the independent 61st Street Farmers Market, city officials set up an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) capability at five markets. This feature enables Link cardholders to purchase food at these farmers markets with a simple swipe of their debit cards, according to Veronica Resa, spokesperson and farmers market team member in the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. With a modest grant from Wholesome Wave, Link card beneficiaries who buy goods at the participating markets, are eligible for an additional $5 in “Link Bucks” which helps stretch their dollars a bit further, she says.
Last year, you could count on one hand, the number of independent farmers markets in Chicago that accepted Link cards – 61st Street, Logan Square, Green City Market and Englewood but only for part of the season. While Ryan acknowledges some of the produce may be pricier than canned or processed food at the supermarket, he notes “the double value program and Link Bucks help bridge the financial barrier that might be there for some people who might not otherwise make a trip to buy healthier food at the farmers market.”
Food activists applaud the efforts of market operators who have found creative ways for low income residents of Chicago to enjoy the fresh food choices offered by local farmers. Many argue, however, that this is just the first step towards making the markets more inclusive and less elitist.
“Just because you provide EBT machines for Link cards doesn’t mean people will come out and suddenly start buying fresh produce,” warns Orrin Williams, Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Urban Transformation. “People can come get the produce, but they may not know how to cook it, so we need cooking demonstrations and recipes handed out.”
Williams emphasizes the need to show African-Americans a healthier way to cook traditional soul food produce like cabbage, greens, okra and sweet potatoes. “Education and outreach are key components to getting food stamp beneficiaries to show up at the markets and get excited about what’s offered there,” says Williams emphatically.
The staff and volunteers at Green City Market in Lincoln Park, together with 43rdWard Alderman Vi Daley, are getting the word out about the Link card program to nearby seniors and college students. They have reached families in the far south and west sides of the city, says Lyle Allen, Green City Market’s Executive Director. Market operators are hoping word of mouth will also spread the news to neighborhoods.
In the spring of 2010, Illinois state legislators passed a bill, introduced by state Rep. LaShawn Ford, which creates a fund to help farmers market vendors buy equipment they need to process the Link card benefits. As of press time, the bill was sent to Governor Patquinn who is expected to sign the bill by this summer.
What will it take to roll out an EBT/Link program at every market in the city? “Money,” replies Jim Slama, President and Founder of FamilyFarmed.org, an Oak Park-based group that develops partnerships between public and private sectors to promote the regional food system. Slama convinced city commissioners to try the pilot Link program. now, he is advocating they take the next step and roll it out across the entire farmers market network.
“If the city had the money, they’d do every market tomorrow,” comments Slama. “Washington still has lots of stimulus dollars, maybe we can tap into that as well.”
Harry Rhodes of Growing Homes agrees, “The city (of Chicago) needs to make a commitment that all its markets will accept Link cards next year. Budgeting is tight, but they need to have that as a priority.”
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How the Link card works at participating farmers markets:
The cardholder picks out what they want to buy at the market. The farmer gives them a receipt showing the total cost of their purchase. The cardholder leaves the purchase with the farmer and takes the receipt to a designated Link card cashier (at the Daley Plaza market there is a dedicated Link card tent; Green CityMarket takes the receipts at the information booth). There, the Link card is processed on an EBT (electronic benefits transfer) machine, which is similar to a credit card machine. The market volunteer swipes the card and keys in the amount to be charged. The EBT machine connects to a data base which reads the card number, confirms there are sufficient funds in the account to cover the purchase and then debits the amount owed fromthe card. The machine prints out a receipt confirming the transaction and the cardholder takes the receipt to the vendor and picks up the purchased goods. The farmers market records the amount and pays the vendor the following week.
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Judith Nemes covers environmental/social issues for the Chicago Tribune and Crain’s Chicago Business. In addition to teaching a journalism course at Columbia College, she is also the editor of A Fresh Squeeze, an online resource about green living in Chicago.
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