Logan Square Green Market to Accept Food Stamps

By Laura Oppenheimer in Food on Jun 25, 2007 2:30PM

Starting next Sunday, Chicagoans will be able to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables at the Logan Square Green Market using their food stamp LINK card, making Logan Square market the first food-stamp-friendly market in the state. Customers using the LINK cards will pick out their groceries and then pay at a central station, which allows individual farmers to skip the hassle of setting up a wireless credit card machine.

As our hardworking Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky told us, one of the most difficult parts of being on the food stamp program is finding ways to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into a diet. Chicagoist applauds the idea behind this program but wonders if it will actually be widely used. We love the green markets and try to go whenever possible, but we wouldn't exactly call them inexpensive. If you are trying to feed a family on less than $30 a week, spending $10 on delicious organic peaches seems unlikely at best.

Still, Paul Levin, executive director of the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce, which manages the market anticipates a good amount of use. "Some of the senior citizens ... they know the difference between fresh [farmers market] produce and the produce that you buy in the store," Levin told the Trib. "And they're pretty enthusiastic about it."

Image via Swanksalot.