We’re helping you save money on your produce purchases! Just show your EBT card when you check out, and double your produce. For every dollar you spend, we’ll match. It’s that easy.
How are we doing this? Good question! It took us a while to pinpoint exactly how we could implement a SNAP benefit program, but we got some help. We started with the National Grocers Association’s to help guide us in the right direction, and that they did! After a few video calls with Pat Jones and Ted Mason they identified that it would likely be possible for us to partner with a non-profit that already has GusNIP (Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program) funding from the USDA. GusNIP specifically aims to make purchasing produce (fruits and vegetables) more accessible to low-income consumers. From that point – Pat connected us with Sherrie Tussler, executive director of Hunger Task Force, a non-profit out of Milwaukee. Hunger Task Force is the only non-profit in Wisconsin that has already received GusNIP funding. Hunger Task Force uses the funding to operate their Mobile Market program – which is exactly how it sounds – a market on wheels that travels to different areas of Milwaukee providing discounted produce. Hunger Task Force has graciously been willing to work with us to implement our own discount program using their available GusNIP funding. Â
Our program will obviously be a little different, as we’re not planning to upheave the co-op and put it on wheels any time soon. However, we are extremely excited about the program we are implementing that we’ve simply named Produce Double Dollars. The program will be starting on January 3rd. The program allows households that are on SNAP to get twice as much produce. Each dollar spent on fruits and vegetables will be matched! Customers just have to show their EBT card to the cashier, and the cashier will apply a 50% discount to all produce purchased. Households are able to get the discount whether they are using the EBT card to pay for their purchase or not. Customers must tell the cashier before they pay to receive the discount.
We are so excited to be able to provide this program to our community, and are grateful for Hunger Task Force for making this dream come true!
