DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS

DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS

Table of Contents Organization Overview 3 Program Summary 4 Double Up! 5 How it Works 6 It s a Win-Win-Win! 7 Development Plan 8 Partnership Opportunities 10 Marketing Materials 11 Partners & Funders 12 2

Organization Overview Fair Food Network s Double Up Food Bucks program matches Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance benefits spent at participating farmers markets. Our goals are to increase access and affordability of healthy foods for low-income families and individuals and to create new sales opportunities for local farmers. Double Up Food Bucks also provides economic benefits to farmers by increasing demand for local produce: Double Up Food Bucks tokens can ONLY be spent on locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, enabling the money to go directly in the pockets of local growers and food businesses. To learn more, visit www.doubleupfoodbucks.org. Healthiest State INITIATIVE The Healthiest State Initiative is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization driven by the goal to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation. By engaging worksites, communities, schools, retail food, organizations, institutions and individuals, we can inspire Iowans and their communities to improve their health and happiness, and ultimately achieve our goal. The Healthiest State Initiative aims to become the healthiest state in the nation by improving the physical, social and emotional well-being of Iowans. To learn more, visit www.iowahealthieststate.com. 3

Program Summary Access to healthy food is a fundamental building block for a productive life. While federal food assistance benefits are critical to enabling low-income families to buy food, the lack of access to healthy, fresh food contributes to poor health outcomes and increases the risk of diet-related chronic illness. Nationwide, there are almost 48 million recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) benefits receiving $81 billion in federal food assistance. In Iowa, there are over 380,000 SNAP recipients. The Iowa Double Up Food Bucks program (DUFB) uses existing infrastructure - retailers and the Iowa EBT card - to: 1. Improve access to and affordability of fresh fruits and vegetables for low-income families; 2. Grow the local economy by supporting purchases from local farmers; 3. Shift public policy so that future federal nutrition assistance programs can simultaneously address health, hunger, and nutrition and support a more sustainable food system. 4

Double Up! The Iowa Double Up Food Bucks program makes it easier for low-income Americans to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) is an innovative way to encourage low-income consumers to use their federal food assistance benefits to purchase fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables at farmers markets. DUFB offers low-income consumers an opportunity to purchase more fresh produce by matching up to $10 in SNAP funds spent per market visit with Double Up incentive dollars that can be redeemed to purchase more locally-grown fruits and vegetables. The project was orginially piloted in six Iowa markets in 2016 and has expanded to 13 Iowa farmers markets in 2017. SNAP recipients get more fruits & vegetables when they use SNAP EBT Card at farmers markets! 5

How It Works Double Up provides low-income Americans who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits with a one-to-one match to purchase healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables. Bring your SNAP EBT Card to the farmers market office or info booth before you shop. Buy any SNAP-eligible foods at the market with your SNAP EBT dollars. Double Up Food Bucks will match what you spend with FREE Double Up Food Bucks - up to $10, every market day. Use them right away or later on to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables Double Up Food Bucks connects low-income families with healthy food grown by Iowa farmers. Increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables is key to growing healthier communities and stimulating a stronger economy. Double Up is a win for Iowa. -Kim Reynolds, Governor, State of Iowa 6

Double Up Food Bucks: A win for families, farmers & communities We are creating more vibrant, fair, and sustainable food systems. At participating farmers markets & farm stands, Double Up matches SNAP purchases, up to $10 per day for local produce. The family brings home $20 worth of healthy food for $10. Local farmers gain new customers, sell more produce, and make more money. More food dollars stay in the local economy. Too many Americans suffer from debilitating chronic health conditions, and Iowans are no exception: over 30 percent of the state s adults are obese, and one in 10 has diabetes. Both of these conditions are related to unhealthy diets, a hallmark of which is an inadequate consumption of produce. The burden is most acute in low-income communities where there is not easy access to high quality affordable food, and where the local built and social environments often do not foster healthy food cultures. At farmers markets, Double Up provides an additional dollar to spend on Iowa grown produce for every one dollar in SNAP benefits families spend. Several years of evaluations indicate that Double Up s deceptively simple design influences shoppers positively by increaseing their spending power while creating concentrated demand for fresh fruits and vegetables. Rural residents also use Double Up incentives at higher rates than urban shoppers, which may dispel myths that farmers markets are an affluent urban phenomenon. Poverty, poor health, and limited access to healthy food are often more acute in rural communities where isolation and limited public and private sector resources make these challenges harder to fight. Several years of independent evaluations and more than 500 customer and farmer surveys, as well as data on SNAP and Double Up transactions in rural Michigan markets, indicate that the program is having multiple, tangible positive effects. Doubling federal nutrition benefits when they are spent on produce from local farmers keeps more food dollars in the local economy and helps low-income rural consumers overcome barriers to healthy eating. The program s approach is holistic and it is in rural Iowa where the power of an integrated design that meets families food needs while also getting at the lack of economic activity that leads to poverty can be seen most clearly. The wins are three-fold: families bring home more healthy food, local farmers gain new customers and make more money, and more food dollars stay in the local economy. Each has ripple effects across the community. It s a win-win-win! 7

Given new USDA funding, there is an opportunity to broaden impact to more area families and farmers. Why now? The past decade has seen the start of successful healthy food incentive programs across the country that match the value of SNAP dollars spent at participating sites, helping people bring home more locally grown fruits and vegetables, while supporting local farmers. Building on the success of the 2106 pilot season, DUFB has expanded in 2017 to include: Decorah Farmers Market Dubuque Farmers Market Iowa City Farmers Market Spencer Riverfront Farmers Market Winneshiek Farmers Market (Decorah) Red Earth Gardens Farm Stand (Tama) Greens to Go Mobile Market (Waterloo) Lutheran Services in Iowa Global Greens Farmers Market Beaverdale Farmers Market Drake Farmers Market West Des Moines Valley Junction Farmers Market Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market (direct market farmer pilot site) Scaling Up What began as basic education fostered bi-partisan political support during the 2014 Farm Bill for the new Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grants program, or FINI. The USDA FINI Grant Program supports projects to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables among low-income consumers participating in the SNAP by providing incentives at the point of purchase. The FINI large-scale project grants are for projects of up to four years with a maximum of $500,000 that are aimed at groups developing multi-county, state, and regional incentive programs. FINI requires a dollar for dollar match of the total cost of the project using state, local, or private funds and/or in-kind contributions. FINI projects present the opportunity to bring together stakeholders from the distinct parts of the food system and to foster understanding of how they might improve the nutrition and health status of participating households receiving incentives to purchase fruits and vegetables. 8

Our Plan Over the next 3 years, the Healthiest State Initiative will work toghether with partner organizations to implement and promote incentives under a shared brand at an expanded number of sites, building upon existing momentum, expertise and interest from new communities, and providing a simplified experience for SNAP consumers: New electronic loyalty card technology for use by direct marketing farmers & customers Common evaluation led by University of Iowa College of Public Health SNAP-Ed nutrition education opportunities led by Iowa State Extension & Outreach Shared branding, efficiency and impact across Iowa implementing partners Collaborative funding proposal to USDA in fall 2016, with 1:1 state match Our Impact We anticipate the first four years will result in nearly $750,000 of fruits and vegetables purchased by 20,000 SNAP households in 25 counties in Iowa, benefitting over 400 local farms. An entire community can benefit from the ripple effects of healthy food incentives. Farmers gain new customers, sell more produce, and make more money. 73% of participating farmers thought the market was stronger; 74% farmers report making more money SNAP shoppers have healthier choices, supporting better health outcomes. 85% of participating SNAP users at farmers markets report eating more fruits and vegetables, including more varieties. More food dollars stay in the local economy A dollar spent at a farmers market can generate $2.80 for the community s economy. 9

Double Up Food Bucks would not exist much less be such a success without the support of our partners. The program s success is rooted in partnerships with local markets who bring it to life in their communities, organizations who help extend its impact with targeted outreach and complementary programming, and organizations that provide financial support. Partnership benefits may include: Company logo placed on Double Up Food Bucks webpage Focus article in Momentum E-Newsletter and Inspiring Iowans Blog Marketing recognition through HSI social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) Sponsorship press release announcement and inclusion in all DUFB press releases PSA Campaign (bus wrap, newspapers, radio, and TV stations) Sponsorship listing in Double Up Food Bucks presentations Access to Healthiest State Logo Vendor Merchandising (Vinyl banners, hats, balloons, buttons, flyers) Branded Double Up Food Bucks tokens and loyalty cards Visit iowahealthieststate.com or contact us for more information on partnership opportunities. Jami Haberl Executive Director (515) 770-4637 jami@iowahealthieststate.com Aryn McLaren Director of Programs (515) 309-3227 aryn@iowahealthieststate.com 10

Marketing Material Examples A communications and marketing toolkit is available to all Double Up Food Bucks partners. Materials are available in multiple languages and can be printed or used online. Co-branding opportunities are also possible. STRETCH YOUR FOOD DOLLARS CREDIT-DEBIT DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS ACCEPTED HERE! SNAP DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS WHICH TOKEN CAN I USE? Healthiest State INITIATIVE 11

Thank you! Double Up Food Bucks would not be a success without the support of our partners and funders. Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Dubuque County ISU Extension Dubuque Main Street Eat Greater Des Moines Iowa City Council Sustainable/Locally Grown Agriculture Initiative Iowa Department of Human Services Johnson County Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation & Department Spencer Main Street Telligen Community Health Foundation United Way of Central Iowa