The Double Up Food Bucks program allows Texans on federal food assistance to double their budget for fresh fruits and vegetables up to a $60 value daily.
Gracie Lopez is a senior who takes advantage of the program.
She said using the program at the Chicho Boys Fruit Market has been a great experience.
"I'm a senior, disabled and, yes, [on] a fixed income," Lopez said. "So now that I'm able to get them at half price, I'm able to buy more fruits and vegetables and be able to eat more healthier."
At participating grocery stories, SNAP recipients get a 50% discount at the register when they use their Lone Star Card.
At participating farmers markets, every dollar spent with the Lone Star Card gets the SNAP recipient $1 of Double Up Food Bucks they can use at the market.
The program's goal is to get healthier foods into low-income Texas households.
Anna Macnak is the Health Program Manager for San Antonio Metropolitan Health's Healthy Neighborhoods program. Metro Health is the regional lead for the Double Up Food Bucks program.
"Our role is really around recruiting those local farmers markets and the small grocers into the program," Macnak said.
There are currently three participating vendors in San Antonio: Chicho Boys Fruit Market on the Westside, the Pearl Farmers Market north of downtown, and the Mission Marquee Farmers and Artisans Market on the Southside.
Macnak said she expected that number to tick up in the next few months.
"It can be kind of a long runway to get a store onboarded and participating in this, but once they're there, they really see the economic benefit of being able to provide this service to families in San Antonio," she said.
The program is administered by the Sustainable Food Center and is supported by federal and state funds.
"We know that most people are struggling to eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables per day," Macnak said. "On top of that … healthier food items like fresh produce are often the first things to get cut when money is tight."
Lopez said the program has made a big difference in her life since she began using it.
"I'm able to prepare my soups with lots of vegetables, and I also do fruit juices with the fruit and vegetables, which allows me to eat better, and it's been a wonderful experience," she said.
She encouraged people to spread the word about Double Up Food Bucks.
"I would like everybody to know that this program exists, because a lot of people don't know," Lopez said. "I made a lot of my friends aware of it, and now everybody that I know goes there."
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