Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Mayor’s Office of Food Access announced the City of Boston is looking to support and partner with more small grocery stores, bodegas or corner stores to bring affordable fresh produce to their community as part of the Boston Double Up Food Bucks program, which will expand SNAP to more stores. Additionally, through this partnership, participating stores will receive technical assistance from the City of Boston. This will include one-on-one training, monthly visits and calls, program performance report, and program coaching.
The Double Up Food Bucks program is a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) incentive program that reduces hunger and improves the access to healthy food by offering 50 percent off fresh fruits and vegetables at participating stores. SNAP customers can get a daily discount of up to $10, and stores are then reimbursed the discount that customers receive.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for families to put food on the table, and the City of Boston has made it our mission to ensure no one in our city goes hungry,” said Mayor Walsh. “The Double Up Food Bucks program makes SNAP benefits go farther, and helps residents get the fresh, nutritious food they need. I encourage stores to opt into this important program, and help both their businesses, and their communities.”
In 2019, an additional 85 percent of SNAP transactions were reported under Double Up Food Bucks, compared to 2018. This means more families have additional money to spend on other needs, and small stores have increased demand for fresh produce. Technical assistance will be provided to all stores participating in the program. This will include updated POS systems, store improvement, marketing support, one-on-one training and more.