ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Fair Food Network announced today that it has received
$5.1 million from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) to expand Double Up Food Bucks, Michigan's statewide healthy food incentive
program that simultaneously increases access to healthy food for
low-income Americans and puts more money in the pockets of
family farmers.
The grant, provided by the new Food Insecurity Nutrition
Incentive (FINI) grants program, will be matched with private funds
for a total of nearly $10.4
million.
The funds will be used to better serve participants on SNAP (the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food
stamps) by expanding the program to more farmers markets and
grocery store locations across Michigan and supporting new technology and
other innovations.
"We've proven that Double Up successfully boosts family
nutrition and farmer earnings," said Oran Hesterman, president and
CEO of Fair Food Network and a former farmer, agronomist, and
leader in philanthropy. "With this funding, we'll reach even more
people, supporting healthy food environments and resilient rural
and urban communities."
Partners in other states, including Utah and Oregon, also received FINI funding to launch
their own Double Up programs with assistance from Fair Food
Network.
"Michigan is leading the
way"
The Double Up program matches the value of SNAP purchases made
at participating sites with additional dollars to spend on fresh,
regionally grown produce. For instance, a family that spends
$10 in SNAP benefits at a
participating farmers market or grocery store receives an
additional $10 in Double Up Food
Bucks to purchase Michigan grown
fruits and vegetables.
The positive impacts are three-fold: low-income families have
increased access to and eat more healthy food, regional farmers
gain new customers and make more money, and more food dollars stay
in the local economy.
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow of
Michigan was a strong advocate for
establishing a federal SNAP incentive grants program. The FINI
program is just one example of ways that Congress and USDA are
promoting healthier, less processed food.
"Projects like Double Up will improve the lives of many more
families because of the hard work of Sen. Stabenow in forging
bipartisan agreement and the efficient and responsive roll out by
USDA," Hesterman said.
"The Double Up program helps families stretch their food
budget to buy fruits and vegetables while supporting Michigan's farmers," said Stabenow. "It's
this type of innovative partnership that I fought to include in the
Farm Bill. I am so proud that Michigan is leading the way. With this new
support, the Fair Food Network will continue their great work and I
look forward to working closely with them as they get the Double Up
program in more farmers markets and grocery stores throughout the
state."
In addition to growing the program's presence at farmers
markets, Fair Food Network will use the combined $10 million to:
- Bring Double Up to more grocery locations (up to 50) by
2018. Fair Food Network has led the nation in expanding
incentives beyond farmers markets to groceries, where families shop
most often.
- Expand the network of farmers markets that use mobile
processing (up to 50). Most programs currently use a token
system.
- Pilot year-round rather than seasonal programming, at up
to 40 farmers markets and five grocery locations.
Double Up's proven model: Innovate, evaluate,
replicate
Since 2009, Double Up has expanded from five farmers markets in
Detroit to more than 150 sites
across Michigan, benefitting more
than 300,000 low-income families and more than 1,000 farmers. A
study of Double Up's first five years found:
- More than 90 percent of SNAP recipients at farmers markets
report eating more fruits and vegetables because of Double Up; more
than 80 percent report buying fewer high-fat snacks.
- Of the 1,000+ farmers that participated in 2013, 90 percent
report selling more fruits and vegetables, and 85 percent report
making more money.
Michigan is now number three in
the nation for SNAP use at farmers markets, and the top state in
the Midwest Region.
"We're working to make Michigan
healthier, and that includes improving access to locally grown
fruit and vegetables," Gov. Rick
Snyder said. "Fair Food Network has an innovative plan
that helps people make good decisions, but also helps our farmers
and our economy."
Fair Food Network continues to innovate. Double Up is the first
incentive program to operate statewide (Michigan is the 9th most populous
state and 11th largest geographically in the country).
Its uniform design and central administration make implementation
and evaluation easy for markets of all shapes and sizes in rural,
urban, and suburban communities alike.
The program's success is rooted in partnerships with local
markets, statewide networks, state agencies, and other
organizations. Partners include AARP Foundation, AFPD, Detroit
Eastern Market Corporation, Detroit Lions NFL Team, Farmers Market
Coalition, Food Bank Council of Michigan, Michigan Department of Agriculture
and Rural Development, Michigan Department of Community Health,
Michigan Department of Human Services, Michigan Farm Bureau,
Michigan Farmers Market Association, Michigan Fitness Foundation,
Michigan State University, and MOSES,
among others. A complete list of partners and funders can be found
at www.doubleupfoodbucks.org/partners/.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has been a longtime supporter
of Double Up Food Bucks.
"When you boost access to healthy food for children and families
and simultaneously fortify local farm economies, you've got a
winning solution," said La June Montgomery Tabron, president and
CEO of the foundation.
Fair Food Network is a national nonprofit dedicated to
growing the good for a more just and sustainable food system. With
a diverse network of partners, we pioneer solutions that support
farmers, strengthen local economies, and increase access to healthy
food—especially in our most underserved communities. Headquartered
in Michigan, our programs create
on-the-ground impact, serve as replicable models, and spur public
policy change. And we bring people together to generate ideas,
share resources, and inform policy to reinvigorate regional food
economies. Dig deeper at fairfoodnetwork.org and
doubleupfoodbucks.org and join us on Facebook and Twitter
@FairFoodNetwork and @OHesterman.
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SOURCE Fair Food Network