New project with Tulsa's Double-Up Food Bucks program

[Carlos Moreno]

Good morning folks!

We've been approached by R&G Grocers here here in Tulsa, OK to help them out with a project to modernize the payment and reporting system for the double-up food bucks program. The program here in Tulsa received national attention a couple years ago for being piloted as a great solution to help those in need stretch their food stamp dollars, and encourage healthy eating.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/11/10/361803607/how-double-bucks-for-food-stamps-conquered-capitol-hill

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/can-doubling-down-on-food-stamps-boost-nutrition/

We'll be meeting with Katie Plohocky of R&G Grocers at Hack night tomorrow evening 6pm at 36°N to talk to her about what her needs are, and how we might be able to help.  Currently the system runs via the giving and redeeming of wooden tokens.  It is expensive and time consuming to manage.  So let's determine a new system that can be much better for everyone!  A few more details below.  Hope to see you tomorrow!

More info about double-up food bucks: http://www.doubleupoklahoma.org/

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Today clients save up their tokens and use them when they run out of food at the end of the month before their next SNAP payment comes in.

Clients on SNAP get $1 credit for every $1 they spend using their SNAP card up to $20 per visit.

When clients buy produce using their Double-Up food bucks, R&G can debit the value of their produce from the card (in other words, this can work with a points system; not actual currency).

Each client needs a PIN / account number; a number that they can remember but be private—not using personal information like linking it to a SNAP number or social security number.  Keep in mind that not everyone has a phone.  So this system should work with or without a phone. 

Each market invoices for reimbursement once a month for produce given away for the food bucks.  R&G Grocers has provided over $30k in DUFB in 2016. averaging about $3k a month.

Farmer's markets & grocery stores that participate in double-up food bucks have weekly reports tracking how much SNAP was used, how many food bucks given, how many bucks were redeemed, and number of customers.  

The pilot would be conducted in Tulsa and Talequah.  The goal will be to conduct the pilot this year, and roll the same program out to all ten markets that currently participate in Oklahoma.

Eventually we would like to integrate SNAP with the double-up food bucks program. That will be much more complicated and require state-level collaboration with DHS. 

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