Community Farm Alliance and Manchester IGA are partnering to get more local produce into the store and into the hands of families in need. Through the Kentucky Double Dollars program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients can receive up to an additional $10 to be used on Kentucky-grown fresh produce.
The program is widely implemented at farmers’ markets, but now, Manchester IGA shoppers in Clay County, Kentucky, can receive a single-use coupon for $10 off Kentucky produce with purchase of at least $10 in SNAP-eligible items. The customer can then use that $10 to buy local tomatoes, green beans, or other fresh, locally grown produce on their next visit to the IGA. Community Farm Alliance reimburses the IGA for that $10 through grant funds and donations received for the Kentucky Double Dollars program.
This program will run through October, and will hopefully expand to more communities and stores in the future.
Though program has been widely implemented at farmers’ markets across Eastern Kentucky, many SNAP recipients don’t know about the program, or that they can use their SNAP benefits to purchase items at farmers’ markets. This partnership puts more fresh produce on their plates, and has the added benefit of building relationships between local farmers and local grocery stores.
The Mountain Association was proud to play a role in making this partnership happen. Having worked with Manchester IGA for years, we helped bring Community Farm Alliance and Manchester IGA’s owners together.
Kentucky currently ranks sixth in the nation for food insecurity, and in the Appalachian region of Kentucky, more than 20% of the population regularly experiences hunger. Keeping both our farms and our rural grocery stores operating is essential for addressing food security. The Mountain Association is proud to support farmers and grocers across the region through our energy savings programs and our affordable financing. We encourage farms and grocers to reach out to us to discuss free or low cost on-site energy assessments.
To learn more about our efforts to support local grocers — including how one store took their bills from $122,000 per year to $84,000 per year — please visit here.
For more information on on-farm energy efficiency and solar projects, please visit here.
