Double Up Food Bucks Adds 100+ Iowa Stores
The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative announced today they are adding over 100 more Iowa grocery stores to it's Double Up Food Bucks program.
The program is designed to help families and individuals who are challenged to make ends meet the ability to access fresh fruits and vegetables, especially during the recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to their website, Double Up Food Bucks received $1 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to fund the grocery sector expansion and add new farmers markets for 2020.
In Eastern Iowa, more than 100 Fareway and an additional 13 Hy-Vee stores will now participate in the Double Up Food Bucks program, giving shoppers using EBT cards extra buying power to purchase food for families.
The healthy food incentive program allows SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) customers to match purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables made with their EBT or P-EBT card, up to $10 per day, with Double Up Food Bucks which can be spent on additional fresh produce.
40 states are currently seeing increases in the number of coronavirus cases, causing concern that efforts to reduce the spread of the virus are falling short. The fear is that this will negatively impact the economic recovery and make it harder for low-income families to provide for their children.
The Iowa Healthiest State website has a lot of good information on how the program works, providing step by step instructions, videos, and shopping locations to assist shoppers.
Source: IowaHealthiestState.com