Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** individuals with low incomes face…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** individuals with low incomes face great barriers, including limited access to healthy and affordable food retailers, which impacts the health and well-being of the entire family. According to a vulnerable populations study, allen county, indiana has 37 census tracts that are both low income and that have at least 33% of the population (500 individuals) who live with limited access to nearby food retailers (i.e., food deserts). In a pilot project, we implemented a double-up snap program with local food markets, doubling the value of the snap benefits if the money was used to purchase fresh fruit or vegetables. In this project, we extend the double-up program to also include a commercial retailer located in low-income census tracts (save-a-lot grocery) to increase the accessibility of fruits and vegetables to those with snap benefits. Our measures of effectiveness include: (1) the reach of our program, as evidenced by penetration to additional markets in the local community and snap beneficiaries' knowledge of the double up program, (2) the number of community partners added to the project, and (3) the percentage of transactions at food markets and save-a-lot grocery that are doubled as part of this program. Through extensive marketing to retailers and consumers who receive snap benefits, we hope to increase our snap match dollars from 4% to 50% of total sales, which will be measured electronically, via records of point-of-sale purchases. We also intend to increase community buy-in and program visibility, as measured by community partnerships and internet traffic related to our website. The ultimate goal of the project is to increase the availability of produce in food deserts and incentivize the purchased produce, addressing access and affordability concerns for those in low-income populations. If our intervention is successful, the model can be extended to other food markets and commercial retailers in low-income food deserts across the nation, which may helpto increase health and wellness in low-income populations and increase demand for fresh produce, which may have a downstream effect on U.S. Agriculture.