A program designed to make it easier for people getting food assistance to buy fresh fruits and vegetables is getting scaled back, as part of a federal pause on grant applications.
Through the program, a person on food assistance can receive a roughly about 50% discount on the price of their produce. But now, instead of $7 per purchase, a person on food assistance will receive $5 per purchase of produce.
The program sees about 5,000 transactions per month.
The New Hampshire Food Bank receives about half of its funding for the Granite State Market Match from the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program – a three year USDA grant that provides means for income-eligible recipients to reduce the cost of fresh produce.
The Food Bank is in its final year of the grant, but the Trump administration’s pause on applications for federal grants has meant the future of the produce cost reduction program is uncertain.
Brendan Cornwell, who manages the market match program for the New Hampshire Food Bank, says the food bank is now capping produce savings to $5 per purchase to extend the grant’s capabilities through the end of the year. Previously people were able to get a bit more than $7 towards their produce purchases.
“To this point we’ve never had to put up a cap or turn anybody away,” Cornwell said. “But with the uncertainty we don't really know how long our current funding is gonna last and we're just hoping it's gonna be a couple of months until everything is up and running.”
This year’s budget costs $320,000 with$139,000 funded by the USDA and $100,000 from the state. The rest of the budget was met with partnerships. Cornwell says they’re looking for alternative funding sources in the meantime.
“We have seen extraordinary growth over the years and have seen more people than we have anticipated,” Cornwell said.
Cornwell said the food bank is trying their best to meet needs and they’re hopeful at the moment.
