Batavia Farmers’ Market continues to offer SNAP benefits

Kane County residents receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits can use them to purchase fresh local produce at the Batavia Farmers’ Market.

The Batavia Farmers’ Market runs from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through Oct. 28 at 25 N. River St. in the city’s downtown.

The market offers SNAP benefits and Link Up, in which beneficiaries receive $50 in coupons for every $25 of SNAP benefits they spend, to use on produce.

Beth Walker, the executive director of Batavia MainStreet, a local nonprofit that promotes Batavia businesses and events including the Farmers’ Market, said the market started accepting SNAP and the Link UP dollars in 2016 in an effort to make the market more accessible.

“Batavia MainStreet strives to make the downtown a place for all people,” Walker said. “By offering these benefits, it makes the farmers’ market more accessible to a wide range of people.”

Jess Chipkin, the founder and president of Crate Free USA, a local animal welfare nonprofit she started in 2015, said her goal is to help promote local farmers and markets by spreading awareness and making them more accessible and easier to find, especially for those receiving SNAP benefits.

“I think this is a very important trend because it makes shopping at farmers markets more feasible for lower income families,” Chipkin said. “We all deserve to eat healthy, plus, it keeps our dollars in the community.”

The Crate Free Illinois app shows the location of farmers’ markets and what they offer, including which will accept SNAP benefits. The app also identifies farms, farm stands, stores and farm-to-table restaurants that offer responsibly farmed and sourced food.

There are nearly 100 farmers’ markets in Illinois that now accept SNAP or Link UP benefits. The Illinois Department of Human Services also has a list of locations offering SNAP benefits on their website.