Greetings!

As we roll out the new look and focus of Nourish Colorado over the coming weeks, we also want to celebrate the work of LiveWell Colorado that continues on. Initiatives you know and love like Double Up Food Bucks and Local Procurement Colorado (LoProCO) are integral to the work we do. Today, we reflect on our statewide Double Up program.

Double Up Has Grown: Double Up Colorado started in 2016 and has grown significantly since. In 2019, approximately 4,683 SNAP households used Double Up, spanning a total of 85 sites across Colorado.

Helping People Purchase Nourishing Food: Double Up has always helped people purchase nourishing food. The majority of Double Up participants surveyed report that they buy and eat more fruits and vegetables because of the program, and often tried something new for the first time.

Helping Colorado Farmers and Retailers: Farmers and retailers are critical partners in ensuring this access to nourishing food, and we are focused on bringing benefits to these partners as well. Economic analysis estimates that in 2019, Double Up had an impact of $550,977 on the multi-county regions it served. The majority of farmers and vendors surveyed agreed that their markets sold more fruits and vegetables and even had new customer bases because of the program.

What’s Next? Moving forward we want to use what we learn from Double Up to make changes within our food system’s assistance programs and agricultural policies. We will focus on how these initiatives can be institutionalized to support people having access to nourishing food and to support the farmers and retailers that supply it.

We aim to transform the food system so that access to nourishing food is the norm, not the exception. Stay with us as we continue this conversation and unveil our new website, logo, and more in the next few weeks!

Source: Double Up Colorado Evaluation Report, 2019

Sincerely,

The Nourish Colorado Team