The kick off for the Farmers Market was special this year in that we were able to formally thank all of our partners in the community for their help in getting the LINK program (formally the food stamps program) accepted at the Glenview Farmer's Market. The ceremony was attended by representatives from Glenview Noon Rotary, Glenview/Northbrook Kiwanis, The Friends of Wagner Farm, Glenview Women of Today, the Glenview Park District Board of Commissioners and State Rep. Dan Biss. Our other partner in the project was Glenview State Bank.
So here's what why I think this is super special. Back when the idea of Wagner Farm taking over the Farmer's Market came up, I thought it was an outstanding way for the Farm to help foster a greater sense of community. It's about relationships...relationships between the farmers and the consumers, the residents and their park district and even between the residents themselves. I get a great amount of satisfaction from watching all the interesting conversations that take place here. I would like to think that real friendships have come about because of the shared interest in the market.
The ability to accept LINK means that we are leading the way in reaching out and inviting everyone in the community to come and be a part eating healthy and supporting local agriculture. Because food at the Farmer's Market can tend to be just as expensive, if not more, we have a special program in place where LINK users get double value for their benefit dollars. Say if you come and spend $10 you automatically get a match of $10. Double your money! This effort was made possible by the donors I listed at the beginning of this post. This is a win-win for our whole town and the farmers too. So if you know anyone out there who uses LINK tell them about our program and invite them to the Glenview Farmer's Market. You don't have to be from Glenview either. We have 15 more market weeks left!
