Link Up Illinois has continued to grow its corner store initiative since 2020, now including eight stores across Chicago’s South and West Sides and East St. Louis. 

The program is connecting store owners with food producers to add fresh local produce to their inventories, encouraging customers to purchase fresh foods and use those ingredients to make complete, healthy meals. Link Up Illinois’ Link Match incentive program provides up to $5 in vouchers, redeemable for purchases of fresh produce, when customers use their SNAP benefits to purchase healthy foods. 

Link Match is an increasingly important resource as large grocery retail chains, such as Aldi and Whole Foods, continue to close on Chicago’s South and West sides. “These closures […] increase the urgency of our efforts to bring fresh produce into corner stores,” said Lauren Stern, Link Up Illinois Senior Manager. In many cases, neighborhood grocers and corner stores are the only options available. 

“We meet the community where they already shop, and where trust is established. That is why we are working with store owners who are committed to improving their community’s health,” added Meryl Davis, leading the initiative.

Two participating local stores, Morgan Mini Market in Englewood and Mi Mexico Grocery Store in Gage Park, who joined the program in 2020, have seen their produce sales significantly increase this year compared to last.

Go Green Community Fresh Market located in Englewood, a project by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network and the most recent addition to Link-Up Illinois’ expansion, began implementing Link Match. In a matter of months, they have seen $25,000 in SNAP sales, demonstrating both their potential for a strong local impact, and the need for increased fresh food options in the community.

In East St. Louis, another community in Illinois with limited access to large grocery retailers and fresh produce, Neighbors’ Marketplace began the program in March 2022. Thanks to the passionate advocacy of the owner, Sterling Moody, their program is off to a great start with almost $5,000 of fresh produce purchased with Link Match vouchers this year. 

With the aggregate effects of the pandemic, grocery store closures, and rising food prices, Link Up Illinois’ neighborhood and corner store initiative is more crucial than ever as we continue to harness local food systems to address inequitable food access in our communities.