ELECTRONIC BENEFIT TRANSFER (EBT) - FOOD STAMPS PURCHASES


AIM is proud to welcome food stamp households to shop at our all of our 8 farmers markets. In order to participate food stamp participants must receive an EBT card, which operates like a debit card. Please visit our market’s information booth to have your EBT card processed. You will then be able to visit our farmers, ranchers, cheesemakers, and bakers to purchase food items with wooden coins. Eligible items for purchase include: fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry, dairy products, breads and cereals, and seeds and plants which produce food. Hot foods cannot be purchased using food stamp benefits.


To apply for EBT benefits, go to: http://www.ebtproject.ca.gov/client.aspx


WIC PURCHASES


AIM is also pleased to welcome WIC (Women, Infants, Children supplemental nutrition program) at our markets. WIC is a federally-funded health and nutrition program for women, infants, and children. WIC helps families by providing checks for buying healthy supplemental foods from WIC-authorized vendors. Participants must meet income guidelines and be pregnant women, new mothers, infants or children under age five. WIC checks can be used to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, and fresh edible herbs. They cannot be used to purchase non-produce foods including honey, nuts, eggs, baked goods, flowers, or dried fruit. WIC checks can be given directly to participating farmers for the produce. To apply to be a WIC participant, go to: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/wicworks/Pages/default.aspx


The farmers who are currently WIC-certified are listed below, but if you are interested in purchasing produce from a particular vendor and they are not listed, please feel free to ask them if they accept WIC checks. More farmers are getting certified each day, and their application may simply be in-process.

Farmers Currently Accepting WIC

AFFORDABILITY AT THE FARMERS MARKET


“Affordable” may not be the first word that comes to mind when people think about their local farmers market. “Fresh, flavor-packed, high-quality, diverse, and nutrient-dense” are more widely accepted descriptions of the produce, meats, and cheeses you’ll find here. But shopping at your local farmers market can be affordable, it can even save you money – especially if you’re willing to cook at home with the fruits and vegetables that are abundant at the peak of their season!


AIM compared the prices of organic and conventional produce at our Marin Civic Center Farmers Markets to the prices at our neighborhood Whole Foods and Safeway. We’re proud to say that the Marin Civic Center Farmers Markets' average price on 12 seasonal fruits and vegetables beat Whole Foods (by 61 cents) and Safeway (by 80 cents), not to mention in variety and freshness of product. May fresh and local food be enjoyed by all!


The prices listed below are per pound, and were collected between 10/26/09 and 11/04/09.

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