Thanks to Double Up Indiana, area residents can now get FREE fruits and vegetables when they shop with SNAP at the Health Food Shoppe of Fort Wayne, 3515 N. Anthony Blvd.

With Double Up, customers get 50% off all produce purchased with SNAP (formerly food stamps), up to $20 per day. This helps customers who use SNAP stretch their food budget and get more fruits and vegetables for their families. Eligible items include fruits and vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, and seeds and plants that produce food.

The free fruits and vegetables are part of the Double Up Indiana initiative, a St. Joseph Community Health Foundation program funded in part by a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and support from Parkview Health and United Way of Allen County.

“The St. Joe Foundation is pleased to bring another location into the Double Up network,” said Meg Distler, executive director of the Foundation. “Our goal is to help residents access healthy food at affordable prices, and by doing this we also support local food producers and the local economy.”

“We are excited to begin offering the Double Up program here at the store,” said Sarah Claycomb, co-owner of the Health Food Shoppe of Fort Wayne. “One of the pillars of our business is the desire to offer nourishing foods to everyone in our community. The Double Up program helps us make organic and locally grown produce even more accessible and we are grateful for that.”

It’s easy to take part in Double Up Indiana at the Health Food Shoppe of Fort Wayne. Customers simply shop for groceries and during check out ask the cashier for the Double Up discount, which is provided when the customer pays with SNAP. An immediate 50% discount on produce is then applied to the purchase.

The Health Food Shoppe operates Mondays-Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is closed on Sundays.

Double Up Indiana is also available at: the Johnnie Mae Farm operated by the City of Fort Wayne and Purdue Extension – Allen County, all three HEAL Markets operated by HealthVisions Midwest of Fort Wayne, Plowshares Rose Avenue Farm and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), Fort Wayne’s Farmers Market and the 3 Rivers Natural Food Co-Op. The addresses and hours of these stores/markets can be found at www.DoubleUpIndiana.org.