I'm Older Now But Still Shopping Against the Wind
With apologies to Bob Seger, plus food access news and the week's market sked
Non-Standard Sunrise
Early riser that I am, I didn’t get that “extra hour of sleep” after we set the clocks back Sunday for Central Standard Time. Good thing, though, because this is what I woke up to at a bit after 6 a.m.
Scroll down for more photos of the beautiful phases of yesterday’s sunrise.
The Wind Didn’t Bother Me Anyway
It took a high wind warning and a threat of rain to thin out the big crowds that have been drawn to Green City Market’s Lincoln Park flagship location throughout the season. As that guy who tries to persuade folks that farmers markets need them most on days with inclement weather, I felt obliged to be there, though.
I did catch a break, as the winds were more of a steady strong breeze during my early morning visit and the rain held off until after I got home. (It did turn pretty miserable for a substantial part of the day.)
Although I made haste, I still managed to shop up a pretty nice market haul. There were leeks from Jacobson Farms (Antioch, Illinois), Empire apples and a pumpkin from Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, Illinois); Golden Russet apples and red candy apple onions from Froggy Meadow Farm (Beloit, Wisconsin); cremini mushrooms from River Valley Ranch (Burlington, Wisconsin); delicata squash and onions from Star Farm Chicago; and eggs from Ellis Family Farms (Benton Harbor, Michigan).
Green City to 3x Match Pandemic EBT for Students
Speaking of Green City, the market just announced that it will be tripling the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer food assistance benefits for Chicago students under a program established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
According to the press release republished in full below, Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer, or P-EBT, was created in the spring of 2020 in response to school closures and the loss of access to free or reduced-price meals. The USDA has evolved the program to replace missed meals for children attending hybrid school, in child care programs, and over summer break.
Mandy Moody, Green City Market’s executive director, says the triple match will increase the value of healthy, locally produced food that can be purchased by the recipients from $391 to $1,173.
The vast majority of farmers markets in Illinois play an important role in improving access to healthy food for lower-income individuals, allowing the use of SNAP/Link food assistance benefits, with many markets matching those benefits by doubling or tripling their value. Here is the full release from Green City Market.
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Chicago Students Can Maximize Pandemic EBT at Green City Market with Triple Value Program, GCM For All
November 2, 2022 (Chicago) — Green City Market (GCM), the nonprofit organization behind Lincoln Park’s flagship sustainable farmers’ market, is welcoming and triple-matching Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) to provide nutrition assistance to Chicago students. Approximately 1.04 million children in Illinois are expected to receive Summer 2022 P-EBT benefits by early November.
Green City Market executive director, Mandy Moody, shares, “Access to nutritious food is absolutely critical, especially for children. Our GCM For All triple matching program will transform P-EBT benefits from $391/student to $1,173. That’s real spending power for fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat, and more.”
Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer, or P-EBT, was created in the spring of 2020 in response to school closures and the loss of access to free or reduced-price meals. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has evolved the program under the changing conditions of the pandemic to replace missed meals for children attending hybrid school, in child care programs, and over summer break.
The USDA recently announced the P-EBT program will continue for the 2022-23 school year and remain available as long as the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency is in effect. Students who are quarantining or whose schools are closed or operating at reduced attendance or hours for at least five consecutive days are eligible for benefit issuance, so long as they also qualify for the free or reduced-price meal program.
Since 2008, GCM has welcomed and matched Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (also known as EBT) to increase access to high-quality, locally- and sustainably-produced food.
SNAP alone is often not nearly enough to help families facing food insecurity make ends meet. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “it’s well documented that SNAP benefits normally run out for most households before the end of the month. Within a week of receiving SNAP, households redeem over half of their SNAP allotments. By the end of the second week, SNAP households have redeemed over three-quarters of their benefits.”
In early 2022, in response to rising hunger, GCM expanded its SNAP matching program, known as GCM For All, from a double match to a triple match. When shoppers using P-EBT spend $25 of benefits at Green City Market, they receive $75 in currency to spend at the market to increase their purchasing power.
This program is available at Green City Market’s outdoor locations in Lincoln Park and the West Loop on Saturdays through November 19, and then it will resume at Green City Market’s indoor location in Avondale on select Saturdays from December through March, starting December 3.