(La Porte County, IN) - People on federal food assistance are guaranteed to receive more bang for their bucks at the Farmed and Forged markets in La Porte and Michigan City for the entire season.

 

A granted has been awarded by Health Foundation of La Porte to assure the groundbreaking TRIPLE SNAP Match program continues and expands.

 

Under the program, $20 in SNAP benefits spent on produce means $60 in total purchasing power at the market.

 

Since launching in 2023, Farmed & Forged has become the only regular-season farmers market in Indiana to offer a Triple SNAP Match program, said Mandy Krickhahn, market manager at both locations and founder of The Collective Events, Inc.

 

"We’ve been able to build and grow this from the ground up, thanks to the incredible generosity of donors, sponsors, and supporters who believe in what this market means for our community," she said.

 

Krickhahn said the grant comes at a time when federal food access programs are experiencing cuts, making local support more important than ever.

 

In Michigan City, slightly more than $1,000 in SNAP benefits and matching funds were issued during the first market of the season this year, the highest single-market total since Farmed & Forged began, she said.

 

In return, vendors benefitted from higher sales.

 

"This isn’t just about feeding people.  It’s about building a more resilient, equitable local food system," she said.