Increasing access to fresh local produce

When using a CalFresh/EBT card at participating grocery stores, customers receive a 50 percent discount on their purchases of California-grown produce, up to $15 per day. For example, an eligible shopper can get $30 worth of California fruits and vegetables by paying $15, effectively doubling the value of their benefit. 

More than 2,600 local households have benefited from the program since it launched in Monterey County in November 2023. 

Participating Monterey County locations include the La Princesa Markets on Williams Road and E. Alisal Street in Salinas. La Princesa Market locations in King City and Greenfield are launching in April. 

There is a crying need for programs like this, as evidenced by Montage Health’s most recent Community Health Needs Assessment. The report states that 40.8% of community residents are determined to be ‘food insecure,’ having run out of food in the past year and/or been worried about running out of food. 

The report also outlines how nearly half of Monterey County residents have diabetes or prediabetes. 

Double Up Food Bucks is funded through the California Nutrition Incentive Program at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The program is a nationally recognized nutrition incentive model initiated by the Fair Food Network in 2009. 

“Aspire Health and Blue Zones Project are supported by Montage Health and Salinas Valley Health,” says Yasmine Elsherbini, Aspire Health’s Community Health and Wellness Director. “It is inspiring to see these organizations come together to support families, businesses, and farmers in our community.” 

Learn more about Aspire Health’s Population Health efforts.