LINK at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market Danny Burke April 16, 2009

West Bloomington  Food desert  Guns but no tomatoes  Pop’s Grocery

SNAP 101  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)  Federal level  Formerly food stamps  Illinois LINK  State-level implementation  Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)

How does LINK work at a farmers market?

Existing Programs  Iowa  Over 100 markets accept SNAP  13.3% increase in farmers’ incomes in 2006  New York  Fresh Checks  Illinois  Logan Square  61st Street Washington, DC Farmers Market California Farmers Market

LINK at Bloomington Farmers Market  Point of Sale machine with EBT and Credit/Debit capabilities  $1 EBT Tokens+$5 Credit/Debit Tokens  Credit/Debit Transaction Fee  Promotional plans  Grant from IL Department of Agriculture  Grant from Bloomington-Normal Convention and Visitors’ Bureau (brochure)

Benefits of LINK at Bloomington Farmers Market  Access to fresh food  Increases sales for local producers  Supports local economy  Connects West Bloomington with downtown Bloomington  Opportunity to fulfill State Farm Bank CRA

Costs EBT/Credit/Debit POS Machine Costs Marketing/Promotional Costs Logistical Costs Total Start-up Cost

Volunteers  Every Saturday for 27 weeks  May 16 through October 31  Indoor Thanksgiving Market on November 21  2 people per shift  2 shifts per week  Shift One: 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM  Shift Two: 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Volunteer Duties  Attend 1 hour training session  Staff LINK booth  Operate POS machine  Minor accounting

Timeline   Week 1 (April 19-26)   Purchase POS equipment and initiate service agreement   Design and purchase wooden tokens   Design promotional materials   Recruit volunteers   Week 2 (April 26-May 3)   Continue to recruit volunteers and begin to schedule volunteers   Purchase market-day equipment for LINK booth   Print promotional materials   Week 3 (May 3-10)  Hold training session for volunteers  Run equipment trials  Produce training materials for farmers  Distribute promotional materials   Week 4 (May 10-15)  Hold additional training session for volunteers  Obtain a press release   Market begins Saturday May 16 th.

In Closing…  Pioneers in LINK at farmers markets  Opportunity to develop guide for other markets  Fresh food for ALL people