Support Our Famiglia & Farmers Program
WE HAVE RAISED!
At the Little Italy Mercato farmers markets, we are dedicated to ensuring everyone in our community has access to nutritious food, and hardworking local farmers and foodmakers can support themselves.
Since 2011, the Little Italy Mercato farmers' market has been a SNAP retailer. This helps our community members access fresh, healthy foods and supports our growers and foodmakers. In 2012, we introduced our Market Match program, self-funded by income from our generous market sponsors and reusable bag sales, matching dollar-for-dollar up to $10 of all EBT dollars used at the market. In August 2025, we were approved for a grant and increased the matching dollars to $15. We are proud to be a SNAP retailer and have helped support our farmers, ranchers, beekeepers, and packaged grocery foodmakers for many years through SNAP and Market Match.
With SNAP shoppers' accounts going unfunded in early November, we must now turn this program into an emergency fund.
Your generous donation can make a significant difference. It will allow us to continue providing vital access to fresh, local food for families and individuals who rely on SNAP benefits, especially during this challenging time. It will allow farmers and foodmakers to keep their farms and small businesses afloat.
How will it work?
SNAP shoppers will be able to access $15 in 'EBT' and $15 in 'Market Match' bucks at the Info Booth, as usual, by showing us their EBT card. All distributed bucks can only be used at the Mercato and only for packaged grocery items and fresh produce (as usual).
Farmers and foodmakers redeem all bucks used to purchase their goods (as usual). This emergency fund will take the place of the SNAP benefits payment processing and the Market Match grant, reimbursing these small farms and food businesses for all emergency fund bucks. No red tape, no complicated systems. Just food and support, fast.
Our average SNAP sales + Market Match incentives over the last few months have been $10,140 per month. That's our goal for November, so no SNAP customers go hungry, and our farms and foodmakers can balance their budget with the sales they expect to make at the market.
This is a hard moment for many people, and we know you're looking for real ways to help. It's a win-win: community members get fed, farmers and foodmakers get paid, and every dollar goes back into our local economy. It's direct, it's immediate, and it will work.
Help by donating, every dollar becomes a buck spent directly at the market.
Help by spreading the word to your friends, family, business network, and neighbors. Your voice matters, and the more folks who know about this, the more folks we can feed.
Let's Feed our Famiglia and Support our Farmers!