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Nourish Knoxville’s Double Up Food Bucks Program kicks off again


Nourish Knoxville’s Double Up Food Bucks program enters its third season of providing free match funding for SNAP and P-EBT users to purchase healthy, local produce across East Tennessee.

nourish knoxville double up food bucks program
Double up tokens can be spent on locally grown produce; image courtesy of Nourish Knoxville

Nourish Knoxville is excited to kick-off the third season of Double Up Food Bucks (Double Up) in East Tennessee in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Health and Amerigroup.

How DOUBLE UP Works: Customers who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can swipe their EBT or P-EBT cards at the market to match up to $20 per day in Double Up tokens to be spent on fresh fruits and vegetables. For instance, a family that spends $10 in their SNAP benefits receives an additional $10 in Double Up tokens to spend at the market for free fresh produce. Double Up is a triple win: low-income families eat more healthy food, area farmers gain new customers and increase revenue, and more food dollars stay in the local economy.

How DOUBLE UP Started: In 2009, the nonprofit Fair Food Network (FFN) launched Double Up in Michigan to help low-income families eat more fruits and vegetables while supporting American farmers and growing local economies. In 2019, Nourish Knoxville, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to cultivate healthy communities by supporting relationships between local farmers, producers, and the public, joined the FFN and 20 states nationwide to bring Double Up to East Tennessee. In East Tennessee, we now have 13 participating farmers’ markets, 1 grocery store, and 1 farm store offering Double Up Food Bucks. Double Up tokens received at all locations can be redeemed at any participating farmers’ market or store.

“With Double Up Food Bucks, federal nutrition dollars work harder — simultaneously reducing hunger and supporting healthier diets for SNAP households, while also supporting farmers,” says Charlotte Tolley, Nourish Knoxville Executive Director.

“In 2020, our program grew more than 100% over 2019 and distributed almost $30,000 in Double Up tokens to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables to 1,500 SNAP and P-EBT customers,” says Kimberly Pettigrew, Nourish Knoxville’s Local Food Initiative Coordinator. “Research shows that for every $1 invested in healthy food incentive programs, we can see up to $3 in economic activity generated statewide, meaning last year our program generated an estimated $88,047 in economic impact” added Pettigrew.

“We’re excited to be a part of a program that helps low-income families stretch their food dollars and participate in farmers’ markets,” said Jamie Rice of the Erwin Farmers Market “The Erwin Farmers’ Market is a family-friendly place where people connect with the farmers who grow their food, try new foods, and set lifelong habits of eating and loving fresh fruits and vegetables.”

For a complete list of markets and farm stores that participate in Double Up in East Tennessee, visit nourishknoxville.org/programs/snap/.

This project is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee. Additional funding for 2021 Double Up is provided by Amerigroup.

Nourish Knoxville is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization cultivating healthy communities by supporting local farmers, producers, and the public.

Published May 3, 2021
















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