Hoʻōla Farms joins The Food Basket Inc.’s list of DA BUX food hub retailers on Hawaiʻi Island to offer a 50% discount on qualifying SNAP purchases. 

[HILO, HAWAII, February 28, 2023] — Increasing access to fresh local produce is one of the best ways to combat food insecurity, and Hoʻōla Farms is proud to announce the addition of DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks (DA BUX) to their Hawaiʻi Farm-to-Car online market, which will increase access to Hawaiʻi-grown produce for low-income families and individuals. The program offers 50% discounts on qualifying Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchases at participating retailers across the state. Hawaiʻi Island retailers include KTA and Malama Markets, along with food hubs including The Food Basket’s DA BOX program, Hawaiʻi Ulu Cooperative, Keauhou Farmers Market, and now Hawaiʻi Farm-to-Car market.

The Hawaiʻi Farm-to-Car market (www.hawaiifarmtocar.org) operated by Hoʻōla Farms is an online farmers market with weekly curbside pickup where customers can purchase local produce and products. “We’re honored to join the DA BUX program and offer our customers more opportunity to purchase fresh, healthy foods at an affordable price,” said Emily Emmons, Executive Director of Hoʻōla Farms. “These extra dollars directly benefit not just our East Hawaiʻi families in need, but also our farmers and producers who are growing our food and manufacturing our local value-added products. These are the activities that strengthen our communities and cultivate resiliency, which is part of our mission at Hoʻōla Farms.”

DA BUX was created in 2017 by The Food Basket as a pilot program with KTA, and then established as the united statewide nutrition incentive program in 2019 in collaboration with Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance. Funding in part was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), along with collaborating partners across the state.  “We’re thrilled to have Hoʻōla Farms join the DA BUX program and expand the number of retailers offering discounts to SNAP recipients,” said Chelsea Takahashi, Director of Healthy Food Access Initiatives at The Food Basket. “By working together, we can ensure that everyone in our community has access to locally grown food that is fresh and nutritious.”

Those who are interested in joining the Hawaiʻi Farm-to-Car market as a customer or farmer/producer, please visit https://hawaiifarmtocar.org/

For more information about the DA BUX program, please visit https://dabux.org/

—

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) invests in and advances agricultural research, education, and extension across the nation to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. NIFA supports initiatives that ensure the long-term viability of agriculture and applies an integrated approach to ensure that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-related sciences and technologies reach the people who can put them into practice.

For more information about NIFA’s Gus Schumacher’s Nutrition Incentive Program, visit https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/programs/hunger-food-security-programs/gus-schumacher-nutrition-incentive-program. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural science (searchable by state or keyword), visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts.

The Food Basket, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that serves as the sole food bank for Hawai’i Island. Their mission is to end hunger in Hawaiʻi County. For more information on The Food Basket, visit https://www.hawaiifoodbasket.org/

Hoʻōla Veteran Services 501(c)(3), d.b.a. Hoʻōla Farms was established in 2015 to provide natural agriculture educational training and hands-on experiences for veterans, caregivers, and their families along with the community in hopes of creating a more sustainable future and well-being for all. For more information, please visit http://t36.640.mytemp.website/

###

HOW IT WORKS:

1. Shop
When you shop Hawai’i Farm-to-Car, click the item to see if it is SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks eligible.

2. Check out
The Hawai’i Farm-to-Car website does not calculate the discount at checkout. The discount is applied when you pay on Wednesday with your SNAP card.

3. Pay
All you need to do is pay with a SNAP card! You’ll receive an automatic 50% discount when you pay with SNAP.