Project Grant 20197003030400

MICHIGANDERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES, ARE BURDENED BY POOR NUTRITION AND ASSOCIATED DIET-RELATED DISEASES. OVER 1,360,000 RESIDENTS IN MICHIGAN STRUGGLE WITH ACCESSING ENOUGH FOOD, AND A QUARTER OF THOSE ARE CHILDREN (FEEDING AMERICA, 2017). SIMILARLY, LOCAL FARMERS ARE STRUGGLING; FARM INCOME, FARMLAND ACRES, AND NUMBERS OF NEW/BEGINNING FARMERS HAVE DECREASED. DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS MAKES HEALTHY FOOD ACCESSIBLE AND OPPORTUNITY POSSIBLE FOR ALL - ESPECIALLY IN OUR MOST UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS INCENTIVIZES THE PURCHASE OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES BY PROVIDING A DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR MATCH TOWARDS PRODUCE PURCHASES UP TO TWENTY DOLLARS A DAY.STARTED A DECADE AGO AT FIVE DETROIT FARMERS MARKETS, DOUBLE UP HAS GROWN TO NEARLY 250 FARMERS MARKETS AND GROCERY STORES IN 64 COUNTIES ACROSS THE STATE. THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN A QUANTIFIABLE SUCCESS FOR MICHIGAN: IN 2007, BEFORE DOUBLE UP BEGAN, LESS THAN $16,000 IN SNAP BENEFITS WERE DISTRIBUTED AT MICHIGAN FARMERS MARKETS. IN 2018, COMBINED SALES OF SNAP AND DOUBLE UP TOPPED $6.8 MILLION IN FARMERS MARKETS AND GROCERY STORES. WE ARE CURRENTLY REACHING AN ESTIMATED 13% OF THE APPROXIMATELY 640,000 SNAP HOUSEHOLDS IN MICHIGAN AND SUPPORTING 600+ FARMERS. SINCE 2009, DOUBLE UP HAS BECOME A NATIONAL MODEL IN OVER 800 SITES ACROSS TWO DOZEN STATES, RESULTING IN MORE THAN 14.5 MILLION POUNDS OF HEALTHY FOOD ON THE TABLES OF AMERICANS NATIONWIDE.WHILE THIS PROGRAM MOMENTUM REFLECTS GREAT SUCCESS, THERE IS STILL TREMENDOUS UNMET NEED FOR DOUBLE UP. IN MICHIGAN'S MOST RECENT BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTOR SURVEY, 40% OF RESPONDENTS REPORTED EATING FRUIT LESS THAN ONCE PER DAY AND 25% REPORTED CONSUMING VEGETABLES LESS THAN ONCE PER DAY (MDHHS, 2015). FOOD SECURITY AND ACCESS TO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES WERE IDENTIFIED AS HEALTH NEEDS IN COUNTIES WITH A CONCENTRATION OF FAMILIES USING SNAP IN THE MOST RECENT COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENTS CONDUCTED BY LOCAL HOSPITALS AS REQUIRED BY THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. HUNGER, FOOD INSECURITY, NUTRITION-RELATED DISEASE, AND ESPECIALLY ACCESS TO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES CONTINUE TO BE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS FOR MICHIGAN FAMILIES.WITH OUR PROGRAM MOMENTUM AND PROVEN TRACK RECORD, FFN IS NOW POISED TO BRING DOUBLE UP TO EVERY CORNER OF MICHIGAN. WITH THIS SUPPORT, OUR PROJECT WILL MORE THAN DOUBLE PARTICIPATION IN THE DOUBLE UP PROGRAM FROM 13% TO 30% OF SNAP HOUSEHOLDS BY 2023 AND EXPAND DOUBLE UP TO EVERY COUNTY IN THE STATE.CURRENTLY AN ESTIMATED 13% OF SNAP RECIPIENTS ARE ENGAGED IN DOUBLE UP, AND IN 19 MICHIGAN COUNTIES THERE IS NOT A SINGLE PROGRAM SITE. THIS PROPOSED PROJECT WILL ALLOW FFN TO BROADEN AND DEEPEN DOUBLE UP ACROSS MICHIGAN - REACHING FAMILIES IN EVERY CORNER OF THE STATE. THE ULTIMATE GOALS ARE TO (1) BRING DOUBLE UP TO EVERY COUNTY IN THE STATE, (2) MORE THAN DOUBLE THE PERCENTAGE OF SNAP HOUSEHOLDS PARTICIPATING IN DOUBLE UP, (3) INCREASE DEMAND FOR MICHIGAN-GROWN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, AND (4) SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE PROPORTION OF THE PROJECT BUDGET DEDICATED TO INCENTIVES TO 75%.THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PRESENTED AT THE 2019 FINI PROJECT DIRECTORS MEETING REPORTED NO CORRELATION BETWEEN INCENTIVE USE AND FRUIT & VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION. OUR DOUBLE UP EVALUATIONS IN MICHIGAN OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS BY GRETCHEN SWANSON CENTER FOR NUTRITION HAVE PROVIDED INDICATIONS OF SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION BY THOSE SNAP PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE USED THE DOUBLE UP PROGRAM FOR MORE THAN 12 MONTHS COMPARED TO A SHORTER DURATION (BOTH IN FARMERS MARKETS AND GROCERY STORES). GIVEN THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN OUR PRELIMINARY RESULTS IN MICHIGAN AND THOSE FROM THE USDA/WESTAT EVALUATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECT OF INCENTIVES ON FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PURCHASES AND CONSUMPTION, WE WILL ENGAGE OUR EXTERNAL EVALUATOR TO CONDUCT A MORE RIGOROUS EVALUATION OF CONSUMPTION PATTERNS ASSOCIATED WITH PURCHASES OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES USING SNAP AND DOUBLE UP.