Mayor Kerry Thomson

Page last updated on December 8, 2022 at 7:50 am

The Farmers' Market Welcomes Food Stamp Shoppers!

Bloomington Community Farmers' Market

Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at 401 N. Morton St. next to Bloomington's City Hall, April through November

Tuesday Market

Tuesdays, 4-7 p.m. at 1601 S. Rogers St. at the Pavilion in Switchyard Park, June through September
 

The Bloomington Parks Foundation is continuing its support of the Double Market Bucks program by increasing the doubling amount of SNAP benefits at the Market up to $27 per Market day.

How to Double Your Food Stamps at Market

  • During Saturday Market hours, go inside City Hall to the counter where you see the "Use Your SNAP (food stamp) Card Here" sign. During Tuesday Market, go to the Market information table.
  • Use your food stamp card to purchase as many Market Bucks as you like. Market Bucks are available in $3 increments, and can be used like cash to buy farm products from market vendors.
  • As long as funding is available, you can double the value of your SNAP (food stamp) purchase. For every $3 in SNAP (food stamp) benefits you exchange, we will give you $6 in Market Bucks!
  • Draw up to $27 in SNAP (food stamp) benefits, and receive up to $54 in Market Bucks to buy fresh-from-the-farm, healthy, locally grown farm products at the Farmers' Market.

 

Use los beneficios de SNAP en los mercados de los Sábados y Martes para comprar alimentos locales frescos y saludables.

 

What to do with Leftover Market Bucks

Keep your unused Market Bucks to spend the next time you shop at either the Saturday or Tuesday Bloomington Community Farmers' Market. Market Bucks expire at the end of the calendar year in which they are purchased.

 

What you can buy at Market when you exchange food stamps for Market Bucks:

  • fruits and vegetables
  • breads and cereals
  • meat and poultry
  • dairy products
  • jams and sauces
  • maple syrup and honey products
  • seeds and plants that grow food
  • baked goods that are wrapped, labeled, and intended for home consumption

 

Stretch Your Food Stamp Dollars!

  • Buy in bulk at a discount and preserve by freezing, canning, or drying
  • Buy when products are at the height of their season
  • Buy seeds and starts and grow your own food
  • Buy "seconds" when you don't need perfect-looking food-e.g. tomatoes for sauce

 

How to get to the Farmers' Market

  • Access to the Saturday Market via Bloomington Transit is #2 West 11th St. via Showers Complex. The bus runs every 60 minutes on Saturdays. Call (812) 336-7233 or visit bloomingtontransit.com
  • Access to the Tuesday Market at Switchyard Park via Bloomington Transit is #2 South Rogers/Countryview. Call (812) 336-7233 or visit bloomingtontransit.com
  • Vehicle parking for the Tuesday Market is available at the parking lot off South Rogers Street. Use 1611 S. Rogers St. in your mapping app to find the Switchyard Park entrance.
  • On-street parking for the Saturday Farmers' Market is available around the Market in metered spaces for $1 per hour, and in the Morton Street Garage at Seventh and Morton Streets (entrance is on Morton Street) for 50 cents per hour. Parking rules are enforced on Saturdays.
  • Take the B-Line Trail to the Farmers' Market Plaza next to Showers Common for Saturday Market, or to the Switchyard Park Pavilion for Tuesday Market.