Double Up Food Bucks doubles SNAP benefits for fresh produce in Dallas, Lake Worth & Saginaw
The number of merchants that accept Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) benefits is more than doubling locally as the program expands its reach beyond Fort Worth. North Texas Healthy Communities (NTHC) — an outreach arm of Texas Health Resources that manages the program in North Texas — has added six new DUFB locations this summer, including four in Dallas County. The DUFB program allows anyone eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to increase their daily purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. Depending on the merchant, SNAP recipients can use their Lone Star Card to receive either 50% off fresh produce purchases or double the value of their produce purchase up to a set dollar limit each day.
DUFB benefits are now available at Dallas Farmers Market, 920 S. Harwood St. Other Dallas locations that began offering Double Up Food Bucks recently include: Southpoint Community Market, 2839 S. Ervay St.; Bonton Farms, 6911 Bexar St.; and For Oak Cliff Farmers Market, 907 E. Ledbetter Drive. Earlier this summer, NTHC also introduced the program to Northwest Tarrant County at Saginaw Farmers Market, 752 S. Knowles Drive, Saginaw, and Lake Worth Farmers Market, 7005 Charbonneau Road, Lake Worth.
NTHC began its DUFB efforts in May 2020 at Cowtown Farmers Market, 8901 Clifford St., White Settlement, and expanded to three G.E. Foodland Inc. grocery stores: Elrod’s Cost Plus, 1524 NW 25th St., Fort Worth; Foodland Markets, 1212 S. Ayers Ave., Fort Worth; and Foodland Markets, 3320 Mansfield Hwy., Forest Hill.
The recent expansion is due in large part to a $540,000 grant from the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Dallas Division of American Heart Association is also helping fund DUFB efforts at Southpoint Community Market. NTHC continues to look for funding partners as it plans to expand it DUFB efforts throughout the region with additional markets and farmstand locations. NTHC is now designated as the North Texas lead for implementing Double Up Food Bucks Texas, a statewide network that includes more than 50 participating locations.
“Double Up Food Bucks is designed to remove the barriers that many families face when they try to put healthy food on the table by making fresh produce more affordable and accessible,” said Matt Dufrene, vice president for Texas Health Resources. “By expanding this program, we are able to reach more people and ultimately improve well-being throughout our community.”
The national DUFB program was piloted in Detroit in 2009 and operates with the support of the USDA. The network of DUFB sites now includes more than 900 locations across more than 25 states, including Texas. In addition to funding the program with support from community partners, NTHC helps remove barriers so that small retailers can accept SNAP benefits. Efforts include offsetting processing fees, providing equipment, consulting on best practices, and delivering ongoing support.
NTHC is also working to build a stronger, healthier food ecosystem through programs like Fresh Access, which distributes fresh produce at more than 20 community centers, and the Good For You Pantry program, which offers healthy food and other nutrition support in more than 13 schools and community centers. Other initiatives include finding funding and support for school gardens, farmers markets and urban farms. In addition, in 2022 NTHC introduced the Culled Produce Recovery Program, a partnership with local urban farms and grocery stores that gives new life to unsold produce. NTHC also implements Blue Zones Project in Fort Worth, a community well-being initiative that helped raise the city’s well-being ranking from 182 to 32 in the nation in the Gallup Well-Being Index. Learn more about these healthy food initiatives at LiveLongFortWorth.com.