With SNAP benefits set to run out of available funds on November 1, DC Central Kitchen and our Healthy Corners program are taking action to fight hunger and support small local businesses during this crisis.
The interruption of SNAP benefits would set back the progress we have made alongside local and federal partners to make healthy foods available to SNAP shoppers at small corner stores across Washington, DC, all at a time when food insecure households and DC’s economy are already reeling.
DC Central Kitchen’s new Bridge Bucks initiative is working to counter the worst effects of the disruption stemming from the ongoing government shutdown. Beginning in the first week of November, SNAP customers will be able to present their SNAP-EBT cards at 34 participating Healthy Corners retailers when they make a purchase of any qualifying produce item with their own money, including single bananas, apples, or peppers priced as low as $0.50. With that purchase, they will immediately earn a $5 Bridge Bucks coupon they can redeem for additional fruits or vegetables anytime in the month of November. The proceeds from each Bridge Bucks purchase will benefit the small DC corner stores in underserved neighborhoods working to stay open and keep healthful items on their shelves despite the loss of SNAP revenue, which is a major revenue source for these community entrepreneurs. Funding for Bridge Bucks comes entirely from private donations to DC Central Kitchen—and those donations are still needed today.
For more than a decade, Healthy Corners has made it possible for people to use their SNAP dollars on purchases of affordable fruits and vegetables at small corner stores in neighborhoods where fresh, nutritious food is hard to find. This nationally respected program has long offered a win/win that helps small businesses increase sales of quality foods while empowering food insecure households to stretch their budgets as they put healthy food on their tables. Since 2018, DC Central Kitchen has worked with federal and local government partners to allow low-income shoppers to earn coupons for additional fruits and vegetables when they use their SNAP dollars on produce items at corner stores. This evidence-based model has proven its impact on shoppers and store owners alike, and thanks to DC Central Kitchen’s temporary new Bridge Bucks initiative, we hope to maintain its positive momentum until funding for SNAP is fully restored.
To learn more about Bridge Bucks and Healthy Corners, please email us at healthycorners@dccentralkitchen.org.