Farmers Market Season Is Here! A Season of Abundance with Link Match Across Illinois
At Link Up Illinois, we’re lucky to do what we love—supporting incredible partners at farmers markets, farm stands, and CSAs across the state with the Link Match program.
As spring turns into summer, Illinois farmers markets come to life with color and flavor: spring onions, crisp radishes, tart rhubarb, sun-warmed tomatoes, and ruby-red strawberries. The air fills with music, laughter, and the rich aroma of fresh produce as communities gather—families shop together, community members swap recipes, and kids snack on fruit with sticky fingers and big grins.
Beyond the delightful sights, sounds, and smells, farmers markets connect us. Each visit supports local growers, fuels small businesses, and strengthens Illinois’ economy—all while filling your basket with joy.
Link Up Illinois, a program of Experimental Station, makes the bliss of fresh, local food accessible to all by doubling the purchasing power of SNAP shoppers for fruits and vegetables. In 2024 alone, over $800,000 in Link Match dollars were spent at farmers markets and farm stands—part of the $1.47 million distributed through 26 stores and 125+ farm-direct partners.
At Link Match markets–from farm stands to sprawling markets serving thousands of shoppers–all community members are welcome to share in the abundance of summer while supporting a more equitable local food system.
We delight in empowering Illinoisans in need with more reach for fresh, healthy eats—and we’re thrilled to drive an ever-elusive win-win-win for our communities! Shoppers thrive, farmers flourish, and local economies blossom, bonded by community. A SNAP shopper shared, “Link Match lets me feel good about healthy food for my family.”
Visit a Link Match partner market this summer and swipe your SNAP EBT card at the info booth for Link Match tokens – quick, seamless, and a dollar-for-dollar lift to make your budget soar!
Staff Highlights
Meet Matthew Ruffi, Link Up Illinois’ Senior Program Manager
A self-proclaimed “recovering corporate guy,” Matthew brings 20+ years of business savvy to Experimental Station as Senior Program Manager for Link Up Illinois. With a global COO gig in ad tech behind him, Matthew blends operational know-how with a zest for connection. A longtime champion of local food systems, he’s lived in NYC, London, and the charming UK town of Dorking before settling in Uptown Chicago with his partner, Kate. Inspired by the UK’s butchers, bakers, farmers—and even a neighborhood gin distiller—they dove into Midwest life in 2019, chasing community and great food with gusto.
Together, Matthew and Kate co-own and run the Uptown Farmers Market, now thriving in its 5th season. From helping save a 140-plot community garden to consulting with Illinois non-profits, Matthew’s journey is driven by a deep passion for driving meaningful community impact.
Through Link Up Illinois’ Link Match program, Uptown Farmers Market is able to double SNAP shoppers’ purchasing power for fresh, local eats, fueling farmers and markets statewide. You’ll hear him celebrate how turning a shopper’s ‘this or that’ into ‘this and that’ creates lasting joy. He believes vibrant farmers markets are powerful forces for good, sparking strong, healthy communities, and that access to nutritious food is a right worth championing!
Matthew’s service on boards for Illinois Farmers Market Association, Friends of Uplift, Grow Uptown Gardens, and as an SSA Commissioner (appointed by Mayors Lightfoot and Johnson) ties his work at Experimental Station and Uptown Farmers Market to broader impact. Off duty, he’s romping with his dog Ruby, savoring tasty treats as he roams farmers markets statewide, and cheering on local!
You can follow his passion on LinkedIn.
