Double Up Food Bucks Awarded $4.8 Million Grant by USDA

The grant will fund expansion to independent grocery stores and continue to enhance the program

The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative’s Double Up Food Bucks Program has been awarded $4,820,792 as part of the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) grant, which aims to tackle food and nutrition insecurity in underserved communities, as well as support healthy diets by providing access to fruits and vegetables for eligible families.

The grant will help the Double Up Food Bucks program achieve three goals.

·         Enhance the use of new technologies in 97 grocery stores, farm stands, farmers markets, co-ops, and CSAs across Iowa 

·         Engage independent grocers for the adoption of the Double Up Food Bucks program

·         Increase customer awareness and utilization through a “food navigator” outreach program

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) users are automatically eligible for Double Up Food Bucks. The program empowers SNAP recipients to maintain a healthy diet and to put more food on the table for themselves and their families. For every dollar spent on produce, another dollar is matched in Double Up Food Bucks, up to ten dollars per day.

“The Double Up Food Bucks program provides vital support for SNAP users to put more healthy, locally grown food on the table,” said Jami Haberl, executive director of the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative. “The funding awarded by the GusNIP grant will be monumental in our efforts to bring the program to more users across the state and improve user experience.”

The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative and the Double Up Food Bucks Program were one of fourteen awardees from across the country to receive GusNIP Nutrition Incentive funding totaling $36.3 million.

The funding will not only help SNAP users purchase more fruits and vegetables but will directly support local Iowa farmers as well. Double Up Food Bucks locations include Iowa-owned grocery stores, farmers markets, farm stands, community supported agriculture programs (CSAs), and food co-ops across Iowa. The money spent through the Double Up Food Bucks program stays in Iowa’s local economy, and directly supports Iowa’s farmers.

"As a farmer, I love the Double Up Food Bucks program because it helps more families afford fresh, healthy food, and it also supports local farms like mine. It’s a win-win for our community—getting good food to more people and keeping money in the local economy." said Carly McAndrews, owner and operator at Trowel and Error Farm, a participating Double Up Food Bucks CSA in Iowa City.

How Double Up Food Bucks works: A customer who spends $10 in SNAP benefits at a participating site receives an additional $10 in free Double Up Food Bucks to spend on locally grown fruits and vegetables. The program provides a 1:1 match, up to $10 per day. Learn more about how the program works in farmers market and retail grocery settings here.

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