Double Up Food Bucks program comes to Yonkers market
Acme Market on Mclean Avenue is the first large grocery store in the county to offer the "Double Up Food Bucks" program.
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An effort unveiled in Yonkers Thursday aims to help people in need buy healthy food.
Acme Market on Mclean Avenue is the first large grocery store in the county to offer the "Double Up Food Bucks" program.
"Double Up Food Bucks matches Supplemental Nutrition Assistance benefits, also known as SNAP, dollar for dollar, when a SNAP shopper purchases fresh fruits and vegetables," said Lisa French, founder of the Field and Fork Network that runs the Double Up Food Program.
They will match up to $5. All you have to do is buy a minimum of $5 of produce at the Yonkers Acme market, pay with your SNAP card and then you automatically get a $5 coupon to use at a later date. You can stack and save them.
Its an effort to expand access to affordable, nutritious and locally grown food in underserved communities throughout the state, and now into Westchester, where approximately 75,000 residents receive SNAP benefits every month.
"Nearly 75% of our kids [in Yonkers] live at or below the rate of poverty so its not hard to imagine food insecurity when you're dealing with this type of inequity," said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.
Most of those SNAP shoppers shop at the Acme on McLean Avenue.
"This location was chosen with intention, to make sure that the benefits of the double up food program is meeting the people who need it most," said Barbara Guinn, from the NY State Office of Temporary And Disability Assistance.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer hopes to expand this program to other cities and villages in the county.
The Double Up Food Bucks program is currently available in 235 locations across the state.
