Food assistance product program to lift grocery store pause in January - Detroit Free Press

Michigan's Double Up Food Bucks Program, which offers radical connected nutrient assistance matching dollars connected nutrient purchases and has been partially connected clasp since Aug. 1 astatine market stores, is expected to resume successful January with a little headdress connected benefits.

When it’s afloat operational, the Double Up Food Bucks programme is disposable astatine much than 250 farmers markets, workplace stands and market stores crossed Michigan. The programme allows radical to acquisition further fruits and vegetables if they are portion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, oregon SNAP, astatine the clip of their acquisition oregon successful the aboriginal depending connected the location. 

Through Dec. 31, participants cannot gain much Double Up Food Bucks astatine market stores. However, they tin inactive walk what they person earned connected past purchases and the intermission does not impact participating locations successful Flint oregon purchases astatine workplace stands and farmers markets. 

The impermanent intermission astatine market stores volition extremity Jan. 1. Starting Jan. 15, the headdress connected however overmuch Double Up Food Bucks families tin gain and walk volition driblet to $10 a day, from $20 a day. Also changing successful mid January: radical utilizing the Double Up Food Bucks paper oregon app volition request to walk what they person earned wrong 90 days.

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Participation successful the programme much than doubled since 2020. Demand "went done the roof" and has not decreased, said Holly Parker, main strategy and programme serviceman astatine the Fair Food Network, which operates Double Up Food Bucks.

"It is the operation of the pandemic — the ongoing impacts economically and wellness omniscient of the pandemic — and past added ostentation that has truly created this surge successful request and successful request close now," Parker said.

Double Up Food Bucks temporarily paused net astatine market stores to dilatory down spending successful bid to support the programme moving successful the agelong term, and enactment wrong the program's budget, Parker said.

The programme besides did not unafraid arsenic overmuch authorities backing arsenic organizers anticipated, said Nathan Medina, elder manager of authorities argumentation astatine Fair Food Network. They expected $4 cardinal but the authorities Legislature approved $900,000, helium said. The programme is backed by a operation of federal, authorities and philanthropic dollars.

Last year, the state's Food Security Council − created by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer successful 2020 to look into the scope and reasons down nutrient insecurity − reported that nutrient insecurity, oregon not having entree to capable affordable and nutritious food, was an ongoing contented lone heightened by the pandemic. In 2019, astir 1.3 cardinal Michiganders faced nutrient insecurity − much than 300,000 of whom were children − compared with astir 1.9 cardinal radical successful 2020, including 552,000 kids, according to the council.

Federal and authorities nutrient assistance programs, specified arsenic SNAP, WIC and schoolhouse repast programs, were a important safety net for families during the pandemic, the radical reported earlier this year.

Parker said nutrition inducement programs similar Double Up Food Bucks are important due to the fact that they marque steadfast foods much affordable and accessible for families portion besides supporting section retailers.

This year, the programme includes 37 locations successful Wayne County, including 28 sites successful Detroit. Shoppers spent $1.8 cardinal successful Double Up Food Bucks successful Wayne County, with 90% of that buying taking spot astatine market stores.

For much accusation astir the program, spell to: https://doubleupfoodbucks.org/how-double-up-works/.

To find a participating location, spell to: https://www.doubleupfoodbucks.org/find-a-location/#geo. 

Nushrat Rahman covers issues related to economical mobility for the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit as a corps subordinate with Report for America, an inaugural of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible publication to enactment her enactment at bit.ly/freepRFA.

Contact Nushrat: nrahman@freepress.com; 313-348-7558. Follow her connected Twitter: @NushratR.