Nebraska Double Up Food Bucks began as a partnership between Extension's Food Access Issue team, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, and Children's Hospital and Medical Center to apply for the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives Grant. Since then, CHI Health, The Fair Food Network, and countless other partners have joined in, giving the project its name, and a clear direction.
This summer, Nebraska Double Up was piloted in three farmers markets and one grocery store in Lincoln. Farmers markets include Lincoln's largest produce market, Old Cheney Road Farmers Market, Fallbrook Farmers Market, and the Community Crops Veggie Van. Leon's Gourmet Grocery, an independently owned local store, was excited to join as well. With this program, SNAP recipients have the opportunity to double their dollars spent on fresh produce at any of the above locations.
In total, the locations reported 97 new SNAP customers, and an average of $30 spent per person on fresh fruits and vegetables per visit. Fallbrook Farmers Market saw a 27% increase in SNAP sales when compared to last season, and a 47% increase in customer buying power. The Veggie Van reported a 40% increase in customer buying power. Old Cheney Road Farmers Market saw a 48% increase in SNAP sales when compared to last season, and a whopping 89% increase in customer buying power. Finally, Leon's Gourmet Grocery saw a 49% increase in fresh produce purchases when comparing sales from the first half of the program to the last half.
These numbers show great promise for this program in the coming years, and also highlight the need for Nebraska SNAP participants. For more information, or to bring Double Up to your community, contact Vanessa Wielenga at vwielenga2@unl.edu or Morgan Hartline at morgan.hartline@unl.edu.
More details at: https://food.unl.edu/DoubleUp