Michigan’s Double Up Food Bucks Receives Historic $5 Million in State Budget to Meet Ongoing Demand
August 16, 2024 | Detroit, MI – Today, Fair Food Network announced Double Up Food Bucks in Michigan received a $5 million investment from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) in the 2024-25 state budget that will help the program meet the significant need in Michigan as families struggle to afford the high cost of food. The new funding will help ensure Michigan families can reliably afford to eat healthier food, while also benefitting farmers and food retailers.
“We believe every family should be able to afford healthy and nutritious food,” said Kate Krauss, CEO at Fair Food Network. “This new support through the state’s budget will boost Double Up Food Bucks’ positive impact for Michigan farmers and families alike. We appreciate our legislative champions like Rep. Reggie Miller, Rep. Julie Brixie, and Rep. Jasper Martus for their strong support of Double Up so we can provide more food security for households and boost income for farmers.”
Double Up was piloted by Fair Food Network in Detroit in 2009 and over the past 15 years has become a national model for nutrition incentive programs. The program helps Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants make their benefits go further by providing a dollar-for-dollar match when they buy fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets and grocery stores so they can ultimately put more healthy food on the table. This proven approach is a triple win: more healthy food for families, better business for farmers, and a boost for local economies.
Today, Double Up is offered in more than 230 locations across Michigan. From 2019 to 2022, usage of the program increased by 212%, helping families stretch their monthly food budget and afford more fruits and vegetables during a time when the cost of groceries was high due to inflation. Last year, the program reached 213,861 Michigan households using SNAP. It also generated $7.8 million in produce sales by independent grocers and boosted business to nearly 800 local farmers that participate in the program.
“This new wave of funding makes a tremendous difference for hardworking parents juggling multiple jobs, trying to ensure their kids have healthy fruits and vegetables on the table. It also supports seniors on fixed incomes in maintaining a nutritious diet that’s central to their health and well-being,” said Alex Canepa, Director of Policy at Fair Food Network. “We recognize the significant demand in communities across our home state. We are so grateful to the Michigan Legislature, Governor Whitmer, and MDARD for this historic level of investment in our program so we can continue to bring this essential community resource to communities in Michigan.”
The program is funded by a combination of state, federal, and philanthropic dollars. The newly awarded $5 million from MDARD will help the program meet significant need that exists across Michigan. The program also receives funding from private donors as well as USDA’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), which is authorized by the federal Farm Bill and provides grants to support similar nutrition incentive programs across the country.
Last year, GusNIP funded 185 active nutrition incentive and produce prescription projects nationwide—improving healthy food access and consumption for people with low income. Fair Food Network is leading advocacy efforts to support increased federal funding, among other improvements, for GusNIP in the next farm bill to ensure the program can help more states and communities across the country.
Learn more about Double Up Food Bucks in Michigan and nationwide advocacy efforts underway.
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Contact: Andi Nank, anank@fairfoodnetwork.org, 734. 213.3999 x221
About Fair Food Network
Fair Food Network is a national nonprofit and investor that grows community health and wealth through food. We transform how resources flow through the food economy for a more fair and resilient future. Our approach integrates policy advocacy that brings proven solutions to scale, partnerships that increase our collective impact, and investments in food organizations and businesses that serve their communities. We’re building a world in which everyone has access to healthy choices, economic opportunity, and a resilient environment. We believe that when we start with food, everything else is possible.