Amerigroup Iowa is helping IA Health Link members put healthier food on their table through its "Double Up Food Bucks" program.
Organized by the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative, and with support from Amerigroup, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), non-profit organizations, and other partners, the program helps low-income families purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods from local farmers.
The program makes it easier for low-income Iowans to purchase home grown, healthy foods by matching their purchases dollar-for-dollar at participating locations, all while supporting Iowa's family farmers and growing the local economy.
Double Up Food Bucks partners with farmers markets, farm stands and mobile markets at 13 sites across eight different counties in Iowa. Medicaid members who bring their SNAP EBT card to participating locations earn $1 in Double Up Food Bucks for every SNAP dollar they spend up to $10 per market day. Participating individuals and families can spend their earned dollars immediately or save them for use at a later date or different location.
Double Up Food Bucks is projected to aid nearly 5,000 Iowa families in 2018, providing them with more than $100,000 worth of fresh produce from Iowa farmers markets and grocery stores. The program is also directly benefitting more than 300 local farmers in the state who offer these fresh foods in the markets.
This year alone, 11,000 tear sheets were distributed at participating markets and stores, community centers, WIC clinics, and with other community partners to educate English and Spanish speaking Iowans about the program. Iowa Healthiest State Initiative provided social media toolkits to participating sites to promote the program, and a one-page summary was shared with community leaders. Information about Double Up Food Bucks was also advertised on the Fresh EBT phone app that allows SNAP customers to check their SNAP EBT balance in real-time.
Amerigroup is a proud supporter of Double Up Food Bucks and has contributed to the program over the past three years.
Double Up Food Bucks expanded in 2018 to allow low-income families to get rewards at three New-Pioneer Food co-op retail grocery locations throughout the state. The program also received a three-year grant from the USDA and will further expand in 2019 to include retail grocery at Fareway Stores and Hy-Vee, Inc. These expansions help to break down barriers that can inhibit a low-income family's ability to access healthy food, including location, hours, and seasonality.
