Verified Jun 5, 2026
Markets & benefits
Sacramento calls itself the farm-to-fork capital. Here's how to actually afford the fork: markets that take EBT and double it, and every benefit program worth your time.
⚠ Watching: Market Match funding — updated Jun 5, 2026
Market Match works today: spend EBT at a participating market's info booth and get up to $15 more per day, free, for fresh produce. Locally it's run by Alchemist CDC, which matched over $764,000 at nine area markets in 2025.
But the state budget due ~June 15, 2026 hasn't yet restored the program's funding — without it, Market Match would wind down around March 2027. Use it now; we'll update this box when the budget lands.
Farmers markets that take EBT
At each of these, find the market info booth, swipe your EBT card for market scrip, and get the Market Match bonus on top. All run by Alchemist CDC unless noted — their live market list is the authority if anything here looks stale.
Central Sacramento Sunday Market — "under the freeway"
The big one. Year-round, rain or shine, under the Highway 50 overpass across from Southside Park. The widest produce selection and lowest prices of the week.
- WhenSundays, 8am–12pm, year-round
- Where8th & W Streets, Sacramento (under the Hwy 50 overpass)
- EBTYes + Market Match up to $15/day
Midtown Farmers Market
Saturday morning anchor of the grid — produce plus prepared food, year-round. Look for the green CalFresh booth.
- WhenSaturdays, 8am–1pm, year-round
- Where20th Street between J & K, Sacramento
- EBTYes + Market Match up to $15/day
Florin Certified Farmers' Market
Weekday-morning market at the Florin light rail station — easy transit access, south Sacramento.
- WhenThursdays, ~8am–12pm, year-round
- WhereFlorin Light Rail Station, 3001 Florin Road
- EBTYes + Market Match up to $15/day
Meadowview Certified Farmers' Market (seasonal)
Seasonal Sunday market at the Meadowview light rail station — the 2026 season opened May 3 and runs into October.
- WhenSundays, 9am–1pm, May–October
- WhereMeadowview Light Rail Station, Sacramento
- EBTYes + Market Match up to $15/day
Also: Arden-Arcade & Rancho Cordova markets
Alchemist also runs EBT-accepting markets at Country Club Plaza (2405 Butano Drive) and in Rancho Cordova. We haven't pinned their current days and hours down to our standard, so check the operator's pages directly: Arden · Rancho Cordova.
Benefits worth your time
CalFresh — up to several hundred dollars a month for groceries
California's SNAP. Apply online at BenefitsCal.com — the official statewide portal. (The old GetCalFresh online application was retired in late 2025; BenefitsCal is the current path.) Free, human application help:
- CountySacramento DHA: 1-800-560-0976 · official county page
- HelpSacramento Food Bank CalFresh outreach: (916) 779-0052 — they'll fill the application with you
- OrDial 2-1-1 for appointment-based help
WIC — for pregnancy and kids under 5
Monthly food benefits, nutrition support, and breastfeeding help for pregnant people and families with children under five. Five county clinics: Natomas, Florin/South Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Broadway (Primary Care Center), and Elk Grove.
- Phone916-875-2120 (English) · 916-875-2121 (Español)
- WebSacramento County WIC · myfamily.wic.ca.gov
Restaurant Meals Program — hot food with EBT
If you're on CalFresh and are 60+, disabled, or experiencing homelessness, your EBT card can be coded to buy hot, prepared meals at participating restaurants. Sacramento County participates.
- FindOfficial restaurant map — cdss.ca.gov/rmp (restaurants change; use the live map)
- EnableCall (855) 355-5757 to get your card coded for RMP
EBT online — groceries delivered or picked up
CalFresh EBT works for online grocery orders at Amazon, Walmart, Safeway/Albertsons, and the Instacart family (ALDI, Save Mart, Lucky, FoodMaxx), among others. One catch: EBT can't pay delivery fees, service fees, or tips — those need a separate payment method.
- Live listcdss.ca.gov/ebt-online — current California retailers
Got your produce? Now cook it.
Our recipes are built around what these markets actually sell this month — priced for a Market Match budget, with no-knife and no-stove options marked.