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.