Pilot program at select Price Chopper stores will match every dollar EBT users spend on local produce
From July 1 to Dec. 31, customers who use electronic benefits transfer cards at four area Price Chopper stores, including one in Kansas City, Kan., can receive a bonus designed to help them and their families have a healthier diet.
The program matches every EBT dollar spent on local produce (up to $25 per day) with another dollar in rewards that can be used for any produce purchase at the same store through the end of the year. State agencies issue EBT cards to low-income families who qualify for the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Fair Food Network, a national nonprofit organization founded on the belief that vibrant local food systems can create health and economic opportunity for all, has partnered with a local coalition to bring the Double Up Food Bucks pilot program to the Kansas City area. Participants include KU Medical Center, KC Healthy Kids, Good Natured Family Farms, Ball’s Price Chopper Stores and the Mid-America Regional Council.
Price Chopper stores participating in the pilot program include one at 4301 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan.
The Double Up Food Bucks program was created by Fair Food Network in 2009 to help low-income families eat more healthy food and support local farmers. The program began at five farmers markets in Detroit, spread to more than 150 sites across Michigan, and has since become a model for communities nationwide. Fair Food Network received special approval from USDA to pilot Double Up at Ball’s Price Chopper, making it one of the first grocers in the country to offer healthy food incentives to SNAP clients.
“This is an innovative program that is really a win-win-win,” said Oran Hesterman, president of Fair Food Network. “It helps low-income families eat more healthy food, helps local farmers sell more produce, and keeps more food dollars in the local economy.”