The Statesboro Main Street Farmers Market partners with Wholesome Wave Georgia to encourage federal nutrition assistance beneficiaries.

What’s going on: This EBT initiative program matches dollar for dollar each time someone shops at the market. For every dollar someone spends in EBT, they get a free dollar in GF4L tokens (Georgia Fresh for Less).

• The program is open to anyone who is EBT eligible and has an EBT card. 
• “Guests may use the EBT card to purchase market tokens at face value ($1 = $1 in EBT tokens),” said Market Manager Willow Farmer. “These special EBT tokens can only be used for already EBT-eligible items, like fresh produce and packaged foods meant to be taken home.”
• The Georgia Fresh for Less program expands upon the EBT/SNAP/WIC program by offering a built-in incentive. 

What else: “These EBT and GF4L tokens never expire, so guests can save them for their next visit,” said Farmer.

• The market is operating at approximately 8 hundred to twelve hundred guests per week. The largest numbers were on Opening Day April 1, 2023, with a total of 24 hundred guests.
• On an average of forty vendors, they collectively sell an average of $15 thousand per week. On Opening Day 2023, there was $35 thousand in sales among fifty-three vendors.

For more information, contact 803-232-8707 or market2gostatesboro@gmail.com.