Link Match Farmers Markets: Keeping Communities Nourished Year-Round
Batavia Indoor Market
Summer farmers markets in Illinois are known for their bounty of fruits and vegetables, but fresh, local produce doesn’t disappear when the weather turns cold. With storage facilities and indoor growing methods, farmers continue to offer an abundance of fresh options–greens, mushrooms, root vegetables, apples, and more–at local winter farmers markets.
Batavia Indoor Market is one of the 30 Link Match partners of Link Up Illinois that make healthy food more accessible and affordable for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients in the winter months. While Batavia Indoor Market is smaller than their summer market, their market was bustling with customers, many of whom use the Link Match program. The market operates every Saturday, featuring around 20 vendor. Most vendors offer SNAP-eligible items, with five offering Link Match-eligible items.
Seeing firsthand how the program makes a difference, Batavia’s market manager, Anita, said, “[Link Match users] get healthy, real food they feel good about buying.” Since launching the program, she’s noticed a steady increase in SNAP shoppers.
“Hearing about [Link] Match made me tear up,” said a Link Match user. She works for a pasta vendor at the market and attends every week with her children to buy vegetables. As a small business owner herself, she values supporting local businesses.
Mighty Greens Farm is one of the produce vendors at Batavia Indoor Market offering lettuces, greens, carrots, and radishes—all Link Match eligible items. They said, “We never have a market where someone doesn’t pay with Link Match dollars. We have customers that come every week.”
Kate Gurke
Kate is the Farm Direct Program Manager for Link Up Illinois at Experimental Station. She has worked for eight years supporting Illinois’s local farms as the manager of The Urban Canopy CSA (LUCSA) and volunteering at Cedillo Farm Fresh in Chicago. She was driven to this work by juicy peaches, crisp apples, and crunchy celery and stayed because of the community and relationships that she has formed. She loves going to farmers markets to catch up with old vendors she purchased local food from and hearing about their successes. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with her 1-year-old (!) daughter, playing cello in a community orchestra, and going on camping adventures. You can find her around town proudly wearing her bright green “Spreadsheets” baseball hat.
Allison Baldwin
Allison is the Program Associate for Link Up Illinois at Experimental Station. Hailing from the franchise restaurant capital of Illinois, their move to Madison, WI opened their eyes to the importance of local food systems. They’ve spent seven years cooking in restaurants and assistant managed a whole animal butcher shop on their food learning journey. In year three living in Chicago, Allison is inspired by all the folks building food sovereignty in and near the city. Off the clock, they can be found cooking with friends, starting new sewing projects, birdwatching with their partner and cuddling their cats. This summer they are thrilled to have the opportunity to plant their first community garden plot ever!
