Have a Lone Star Card? If so, you can now save big on fresh fruits and vegetables at Elrod’s Cost Plus Supermarket, thanks to the new Double Up Food Bucks program. Area residents who are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can simply swipe their Lone Star Card at Elrod’s north Fort Worth location (1524 NW 25th Street) and get 50% off SNAP-eligible fresh produce, up to $10 in savings per day, per customer.
Blue Zones Project Fort Worth and North Texas Healthy Communities have spearheaded and are funding the launch of the Double Up Food Bucks program at the Elrod’s location. “We have seen a dramatic increase in those who are struggling to put food on the table, much less being able to afford healthy options like fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Matt Dufrene, vice president of Blue Zones Project Fort Worth/North Texas Healthy Communities. “Elrod’s is a family-owned business that saw this need and is partnering with us to improve the health of this community and make a difference in the lives of its customers.” The partnership with the locally owned supermarket chain expands a successful Double Up Food Bucks program established at Cowtown Farmers Market earlier this year.
“The Double Up Food Bucks initiative advances our supermarket’s overall mission – we feed families for life,” said Don Benefield, EVP of G.E. Foodland Inc., which operates Elrod’s Cost Plus Supermarkets and Foodland Markets throughout North Texas. “We are passionate about supporting the community and promoting healthy meals that can be shared together.” The Double Up Food Bucks program will be expanded later this year to Foodland Markets at 1212 S. Ayers Ave., and available at Foodland Markets at 3320 Mansfield Highway in early 2021.
Access to fresh produce can drastically improve the overall health of a community. Incorporating a plant slant into a healthy diet can reduce the risk of some chronic diseases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, studies have shown that fruits and vegetables provide nutrients – like beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E – that can boost immune function, which is especially important in light of the COVID pandemic.