Even if you miss the event today, check out what Wholesome Wave is up to.

The 61st Street Farmers Market will launch Growing Power’s Market Basket Program TODAY, Friday, November 6, 2009. LINK recipients will be able to purchase full-size market baskets filled with certified organic and sustainably grown produce at half price. The program was inspired by the Wholesome Wave Foundation’s Market Box and Double Value Coupon Programs.
Michel Nischan, founder of the Wholesome Wave Foundation; Dennis Ryan, Market Manager of the 61st Street Farmers Market; and Jillayne Samatas, Education and Outreach Manager of Common Threads will be available for interviews. Details for the event are below.
Wholesome Wave Foundation Inspires Collaboration among Experimental Station, Common Threads, and Growing Power for Market Basket Program Launch in Englewood
Who: The 61st Street Farmers Market, a beneficiary of Wholesome Wave Foundation and an Experimental Station program, took the lead in mobilizingCommon Threads and Growing Power to launch a Market Basket program providing families in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago with fresh organic produce.
Common Threads, a Chicago-based non-profit organization founded by Chef Art Smith that teaches low-income children to prepare healthy meals, helped organize the parents at their partner schools to participate in the program.
What: Full Size “Market Baskets’ will be given to LINK [commonly known as food stamps] recipients at 1/2 price ($14). A Full Size Market Basket provides approximately 10-12 varieties (approximately 20 pounds) of certified organic and sustainably grown produce. The baskets, made possible by Growing Power, contain a variety of both fruits and vegetables. Items are based on season, but include produce such as onions, red/blue potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, broccoli, carrots, portabella mushrooms, spinach, salad mix, herbs/micro-greens, 2-4 different kinds of apples. Additional market baskets at full price may be made available to non-LINK purchasers.
Why: The inspiration for the collaboration was Wholesome Wave Foundation’s Market Box Program and Double Value Coupon Program, both part of the non-profit’s “Nourishing Neighborhoods” campaign to make healthy, local food available to all and provide fresh produce to under-served communities. The collaboration was spurred by Wholesome Wave's support for the 61st Street Farmers Market and its encouragement to grow their work to more Chicago communities.
When: Friday, November 6, from 2:30 to 4:00pm
Where: Common Threads partner school Nicholson School, 6006 S. Peoria St., Chicago