A customer picks out fresh fruit from a Healthy Corners fridge at Wheeler Market in the new video highlighting the importance of SNAP-Match. See video below.
We are proud to share a new video highlighting the power of DC Central Kitchen’s Healthy Corners program to shape businesses and communities for the better! In 2018, Healthy Corners launched an innovative new incentive called SNAP Match. With support from the US Department of Agriculture and DC Health, SNAP Match sought to solve a long-standing challenge in DC neighborhoods without corner stores.
On the one hand, corner store customers wanted a greater variety of fresh and affordable fruits and vegetables on store shelves that could fit within their limited food budgets. On the other, store owners were nervous about carrying all those perishable products in the event consumer demand did not immediately keep up.
SNAP Match was the perfect solution. When SNAP customers purchased a fruit or vegetable with their own money, they triggered a matching incentive they could spend on additional produce items. Once these food insecure shoppers could expand their purchasing power, they finally had the resources they needed to purchase the array of products that make for a healthy diet. It also meant store owners had to rush to keep pace with demand – installing larger refrigerators, ordering more regular deliveries, and diversifying what they kept in stock.
SNAP Match triggered a near-immediate 162% increase in store sales. Today, SNAP customers are spending 18% more of their own money on fruits and vegetables than when the program started even beyond the value of their incentives – confirming community interest in these healthier options. This year, we are forecasting record sales, empowering Healthy Corners stores to sell 500,000 units of nutritious produce. That’s a 32% increase over last year.
SNAP Match is a win/win scenario and a true lifeline. But don’t take our word for it! Please check out and share this brand-new exclusive video featuring the perspective of the DC small businesses who are making SNAP Match so successful in communities where they are an essential food source.