BRATTLEBORO — Shoppers with low incomes in four Vermont communities will soon have increased access to healthy, nutritious food, thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrition Incentives Program grant awarded to Farm Fresh Rhode Island in partnership with the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA).
Part of a multi-state initiative, the grant will provide funds for Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op and Hunger Mountain Co-op to pilot a Double Up Food Bucks program in 2023, offering a 50% discount on fresh fruit and vegetables to individuals participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Brattleboro and Putney Food Co-ops plan to launch similar programs in 2024.
“As a community-owned store, providing access to healthy food and addressing food insecurity is a top priority at the Brattleboro Food Co-op,” General Manager Lee Bradford said in a news release. “We are excited that this grant will not only provide greater access to fresh food, but will also provide more support for growers in our area. We are very grateful to everyone who helped make this program a reality and look forward to bringing it to Brattleboro next year.”
SNAP is widely considered one of the most effective food security efforts in the United States, supplementing the food budgets of families with limited incomes so they can purchase more healthy food.
Double Up Food Bucks, a project of the Fair Food Network, further increases the impact of the program by matching the dollars SNAP participants spend on fresh produce. This puts fruits and vegetables within reach for more people, making healthy food an easier choice and expanding the market for local farmers.
The NFCA “includes 42 food co-ops and start-ups across the Northeast, locally owned by more than 168,000 members and employing over 2,450 people. Together, these community-owned grocery stores generate annual revenue of $395 million, with local products representing 25% of total sales,” states a news release.
For more than a decade, the NFCA has partnered with the New England Farmers Union and food security organizations to increase access to healthy food and economic empowerment, enabling people to work together to build more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive communities. In 2021, NFCA joined with the New England Nutrition Incentive Collaborative (NENIC) in a multi-state effort to secure funding for SNAP Nutrition Incentives programs in Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
For more information on the NFCA and its efforts to increase healthy food access and a map of food co-ops across the Northeast, visit nfca.coop.