Resources to help inform your own advocacy efforts
We have curated a variety of resources that are free to download and use to help inform your own campaigns. Share this information on your websites, via your social media channels, email, or in any method you communicate with fellow partners, advocates, and legislative offices.
Fact sheets
This Double Up Food Bucks NY Fact sheet is meant for our partners and other advocates to gain a better understanding of the program, how it works, and how it came to be.
The Double Up Food Bucks NY Impact Report highlights the key takeaways and program metrics from 2023. This is a good supporting resource to visually show what the program does and how it has grown.
This new report from the GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Hub highlights the program outcomes from all GusNIP projects through August 2022. This report can be used to highlight the statistical significance of nutrition incentive programs such as Double Up Food Bucks NY, demonstrating that these are not just pilot projects but proven methods that help reduce food insecurity and backed by federal research.
This is a fantastic resource from the American Heart Association that highlights the statistical significance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. This report pulls out research-backed facts covering various topics related to SNAP, including SNAP participation, impact on food security and healthcare, and impact on diet quality.
This 2023 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities offers a zoomed in look at SNAP reach and impact in New York State. This is a great resource for showing how much SNAP is already doing to benefit New Yorkers, while also highlighting program gaps and the need for overall growth and continued investment of the program.
2024 double up food bucks ny
campaign messaging
Below is a messaging framework to help organize the messages that are critical to sharing about Double Up Food Bucks NY. This resource will allow you to speak broadly yet wholistically about Double Up Food Bucks NY in your meetings while staying focused on the most important central message.
Double Up Food Bucks NY is a nutrition incentive program that supports families, New York farmers and local economies. We have successfully received federal funding to help support the program, but there is a 100% funding match requirement in order to unlock these funds. Continued New York State investment in Double Up Food Bucks NY is essential for us to be able to access and bring these federal dollars back into New York State.
New Yorkers are facing a hunger crisis- we need to strengthen our food and nutrition policies to ensure no one goes hungry in New York State.
- According to Feeding America, one in nine adults and one in six children face hunger in New York State every day.
- Recent challenges such as the rising cost of food, record high inflation, and the ending of COVID-era benefits such as SNAP emergency allotments have made food security an even greater issue for New Yorkers.
- According to a 2022 report from the USDA’s Economic Research Service, 17 million US households were food insecure in 2022, including 6.8 million households that reported very low food security. The report also cited statistically significant increases across categories compared to 2021.
- According to the July 2023 US Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, the number of New York State residents who didn’t have enough to eat over a one-week period increased by 87% – from 934,195 to 1,750,926 – between July 2021 and July 2023.
Nutrition incentive programs like Double Up Food Bucks NY are statistically proven to increase food security among children and families.
- Nutrition incentive program participants see increased fruit and vegetable consumption and improved food security.
- Double Up Food Bucks NY is adaptable and flexible. It can be run at various locations all across New York State including farmers markets, mobile markets, farm stands, co-ops, corner stores and large grocery stores.
- With the state’s investment of $2 million, we will be able to continue growing and expanding the Double Up Food Bucks NY program into six additional counties in the next year, reaching an additional 13,000+ New Yorkers.
New York State’s ongoing investment in Double Up Food Bucks NY will be doubled by the federal government.
- Field & Fork Network has successfully leveraged Double Up Food Bucks NY program funding from New York State to acquire federal dollars for New York State via a multi-year grant from the USDA NIFA Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP).
- These federal funds are not guaranteed; in order to unlock these funds, New York State's continued investment in the Double Up Food Bucks NY program is critical to ensure these federal dollars are not left on the table.
Double Up Food Bucks NY has a 300% return on investment, financially supporting New York farmers and boosting local economies.
- Double Up Food Bucks NY works with over 550 individual produce vendors and 65 individual farmers markets and farm stands across the state, distributing more than $422K directly to New York farmers in 2022 alone.
- For every $1 invested in a nutrition incentive program, up to $3 is generated and recirculated back into the local economy (a 300% ROI).
References:
- https://nutritionincentivehub.org/media/2uwlf3ch/gusnip-y3-impact-findings-report.pdf
- https://www.spur.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/economic_contributions_incentives_2_2_21.pdf
- https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/
- https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/demo/hhp/hhp59.html
- According to a 2023 report from the NY Health Foundation, in 2022, nearly 1 in 10 New Yorkers (9.7%) reported food insufficiency, an increase from 2021, when 1 in 12 New Yorkers (8.6%) experienced food insufficiency.
- Food insufficiency increased twice as much in households with children compared to households without children (18.7% increase vs. 9.6% increase) from 2021 to 2022. 1 in 8 (12.7%) New York households with children experienced food insufficiency in 2022.
- More than 2.8 million New Yorkers, or 14% of the state population (1 in 7) used SNAP in 2022.
- More than 53% of SNAP participants are in families with children.
- Field & Fork Network had been operating and administering the Double Up Food Bucks NY program since 2014.
- Field & Fork Network’s mission is to connect communities to innovative solutions that foster a sustainable food system.
- Field & Fork Network’s vision is a resilient, equitable, and community-owned food system.
- Double Up Food Bucks NY is a SNAP-matching nutrition incentive program that provides a dollar-for-dollar match on SNAP produce purchases, between $5-$20/day, at participating farmers markets, mobile markets, farm stands, coops, and large retail grocery stores.
- Double Up Food Bucks NY operates in 32 counties at more than 220 site locations.
- Double Up Food Bucks NY provides an incentive for our most vulnerable families to stretch their dollar and purchase more fresh produce from local New York farmers, thus generating more economic growth for the local economy.
- With state EBT benefits being cut in the past year, coupled with historically high costs of food due to inflation, Double Up Food Bucks NY is a critical resource for families and helps them stretch their food budgets. No family should have to choose between putting food on the table and eating a healthy diet.
- When families eat healthier, this helps to prevent diet related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease and helps to decrease overall healthcare costs.
- In 2022 alone, the Double Up Food Bucks NY program generated more than $422k in revenue for 550 different New York farmers across the state.
- Another benefit of Double Up Food Bucks NY is the interoperability of the program among specific locations.
- For example, a customer in Syracuse can earn Double Up Food Bucks at the Brady Market and spend it at Toomey Abbott.
- Field & Fork Network is able to double the state’s investment in the Double Up Food Bucks NY program. For every $1 invested by New York State, we can leverage this for a 100% match in federal dollars through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) federal grant program.
- The $2 million appropriation in the 2024 state budget has allowed us to continue to expand into additional regions and locations across the state, expanding into five new counties in 2023, with the goal of expanding into all counties (outside the five boroughs of NYC) by the end of 2027.
- It has also allowed us to continue expansion into the retail market space to reach more SNAP customers where they are shopping and increase the equity and reach of the program.
customizable templates and resources
Use this resource for sending an email to your elected officials asking them to support Double Up Food Bucks NY.
- Find your state legislators using this link: https://myreps.datamade.us/
- Type in your address
- Filter to search for your State Representatives
- Once you determine who your New York State Senator and Assemblymember are, click on the Contact link to find their email addresses.
- Use the following email template to send out to each of your legislators an individual message letting them know you support the Double Up Food Bucks NY program and ask them to support program funding in the FY 2025 NYS Budget.
Legislator Email Template
Subject: Double Up Food Bucks NY Funding in State Budget
Importance: High Importance
Attachment: NYS FY 2025 Double Up Food Bucks NY Request
Body:
Dear [Senator/Assemblymember X],
I am writing to you today as a constituent of your district to voice my support for funding for the Double Up Food Bucks NY program in the FY 2025 NYS Budget.
In case you are not already aware, Double Up Food Bucks NY is the only statewide nutrition incentive program in New York State. Double Up Food Bucks NY matches SNAP purchases $1: $1, up to $20/day, to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables, with an emphasis on locally grown produce. The program is a win-win-win, increasing the accessibility and affordability of local, fresh fruits and vegetables for families, increasing economic opportunities for farmers, and supporting local economies.
I am urging you to support the inclusion of the Double Up Food Bucks NY program in the FY 2025 NYS Budget for $2M. This will help to ensure the continuing operations of the program are funded as well as meet the expansion goals to offer the program in more settings, thereby increasing the number of families, farmers, and local economies that benefit. Please also do whatever you can to encourage your fellow colleagues to support this crucial funding for the Double Up Food Bucks NY program.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I appreciate your dedication to our community and look forward to hearing about your efforts to support Double Up Food Bucks NY in the state budget.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
In certain cases, it can be beneficial to meet face-to-face with your elected officials to help get your point across and form a stronger connection with them. If you would like to schedule an in-person or virtual meeting with your elected officials, you can use the email template below. It’s important to note that the typical New York legislative session runs from the beginning of January-mid June. This is when members typically travel to Albany for a few days/week. Legislators are back in their district offices the rest of the year, except in the cases of some special sessions where the legislature is called back to Albany. This is good to know if you are asking for an in-person meeting and where the member will likely be at the time (in district vs in Albany).
EMAIL TEMPLATE
Subject: MEETING REQUEST: Double Up Food Bucks NY Funding in State Budget
Importance: High Importance
Attachment: NYS FY 2025 Double Up Food Bucks NY Request
Body:
Dear [Senator/Assemblymember X],
I am writing to you today as a constituent of your district from [Your Town/City/Village] to voice my support for funding for the Double Up Food Bucks NY program in the FY 2025 NYS Budget.
In case you are not already aware, Double Up Food Bucks NY is the only statewide nutrition incentive program in New York State. Double Up Food Bucks NY matches SNAP purchases $1: $1, up to $20/day, to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables, with an emphasis on locally grown produce. The program is a win-win-win, increasing the accessibility and affordability of local, fresh fruits and vegetables for families, increasing economic opportunities for farmers, and supporting local economies. I am attaching the NYS FY 2025 Double Up Food Bucks NY Request for your reference.
I am urging you to support the inclusion of the Double Up Food Bucks NY program in the FY 2025 NYS Budget for $2M. This will help to ensure the continuing operations of the program are funded as well as meet the expansion goals to offer the program in more settings, thereby increasing the number of families, farmers, and local economies that benefit.
I would love to schedule a time to meet with you to discuss how you can help support the Double Up Food Bucks NY program in more detail. I am happy to meet either virtually or in-person, whatever works best for you. Please see below for a few dates and times that work for me:
[Date and time 1]
[Date and time 2]
[Date and time 3]
If none of the above dates work, please let me know some alternatives and I can accommodate the [Senator/Assemblymember’s] schedule. If there is any additional information you need from me, please do not hesitate to ask.
Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
[Your Signature]
When meeting with elected officials, it is important to maximize your time with them. The meetings are typically no longer than 10-15 minutes, so you will want to make every minute count. Use the following sample agenda as an outline for your own meetings with elected officials.
- Brief introductions (1 minute)
- Introduce yourself and/or your organization, and thank them for attending the meeting
- Allow the member and any accompanying staff to introduce themselves as well
- Purpose (less than 1 minute)
- State the purpose of the meeting
- “I am here today to discuss the importance of Double Up Food Bucks NY and why your support would be crucial in helping secure funding in the budget.”
- State the purpose of the meeting
- Double Up Food Bucks NY Program Overview (2-3 minutes)
- Use this time to mention the main points of Double Up Food Bucks NY and why they should support the program.
- Reference the Double Up Food Bucks NY Messaging Framework to help guide this conversation.
- While the messaging framework can help guide the discussion around Double Up Food Bucks NY, this conversation may look different depending on who you are meeting with and what their priorities are.
- Reference the Double Up Food Bucks NY Messaging Framework to help guide this conversation.
- Use this time to mention the main points of Double Up Food Bucks NY and why they should support the program.
- The Ask (2-3 minutes)
- Use this time to state your ask for the legislator and what their support for the program would mean. Have a discussion with them, lay out who amongst their colleagues have already pledged their support, and why they should consider supporting as well.
- Include this line: “In 2024, Field & Fork Network is seeking a $2 million appropriation from NYS to support the Double Up Food Bucks NY program.”
- Questions (1-2 minutes)
- While the elected official should be encouraged to ask questions throughout, be sure to ask them if they have any follow up or lingering questions about what was discussed.
- Wrap-Up (1 minute)
- Provide a brief recap of what was discussed, address any follow-ups, and thank the elected official and/or their staff for their time. Be sure to let them know you will be in touch, as this should not be a 1-off meeting, but rather the beginning/continuation of a longer conversation and relationship.
Do ✅:
- Provide options.
- When requesting a meeting, be sure to provide a minimum of three possible dates and time ranges that work for you (i.e. Wednesday, February 14th between 1:00pm-4:00pm).
- Ensure you are providing dates with at least two weeks’ advance notice to increase the chances of the members’ availability. They are busy and their schedules fill up quickly.
- Arrive early.
- It is important to show that you are respectful of their time and your own time.
- If the meeting is in person, be sure to arrive 15 minutes before the start of the meeting.
- If the meeting is virtual, jump on the call five minutes before the start time.
- Share your personal stories and experiences with them.
- Do you currently or have you ever used the Double Up Food Bucks NY program? If not, have you ever struggled with food insecurity? Share your real lived experiences with them. This is what they like to hear, and it will help form a stronger connection between you and your legislator.
- Relax!
- They are human too, and they want to hear from you as their constituent. Your voice is important to them. Be confident but polite, you got this!
- Say thank you.
- At the end of the meeting, be sure to thank them for their time and also send a follow up thank you email when you get home or once the meeting has ended. In the email, be sure to cover the main points discussed, provide any additional resources, and thank them once again for their time.
Don’t ❌:
- Have a one-sided conversation.
- While there is lot you might want to say to the legislator, it is important to think of this as a conversation rather than a presentation. Ask them for input or expertise on certain topics (i.e. what has your experience been with this issue? Have other constituents talked about this with you as well?). They were elected for a reason. Use this time to get to know them, and how you can best help each other.
- Forget to breathe.
- There will likely be a lot more information that you would like to share that you just won’t be able to get to during the meeting. Instead of talking way too fast and trying to squeeze every detail in, take a breather. Prepare your main points ahead of time and pause after each main point. This will allow the member to acknowledge what you have said and also give your words more weight and meaning to them.
- Be rude or argumentative.
- Sometimes we hold very different views than our elected officials might. Even so, you are both adults, and it is important to have an engaging and productive conversation. It is not likely that yelling or arguing with anyone has ever resulted in both sides getting what they want.
- Be distracted.
- When you are in the meeting, be sure to give the member your full attention. Put your phone away, make eye contact, and nod when they are talking to let them know you are listening.
This resource offers a template phone script of what it would look like to run your own Double Up Food Bucks NY Call to Action where you send out the request for partners to call their elected officials and ask them to support for the program. Constituent phone calls can have a lasting impact, especially when done in larger numbers.
Sample Phone Script for Supporters
“Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I am a constituent in [Senator/Assemblymember’s] district from [Your Town/City/Village]. I am calling today to express my strong support for the Double Up Food Bucks NY program.
In case you are not already aware, Double Up Food Bucks NY is the only statewide nutrition incentive program in New York State. Double Up Food Bucks NY matches SNAP purchases $1: $1, up to $20/day, to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables, with an emphasis on locally grown produce. The program is a win-win-win, increasing the accessibility and affordability of local, fresh fruits and vegetables for families, increasing economic opportunities for farmers, and supporting local economies.
I am urging you to support the inclusion of the Double Up Food Bucks NY program in the FY 2025 NYS Budget for $2M. This will help to ensure the continuing operations of the program are funded as well as meet the expansion goals to offer the program in more settings, thereby increasing the number of families, farmers, and local economies that benefit. I ask that [Senator/Assemblymember X] also does whatever they can to encourage their fellow colleagues to support this crucial funding for the Double Up Food Bucks NY program.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I appreciate [Senator/Assemblymember X’s] dedication to our community and look forward to hearing about their efforts to support Double Up Food Bucks NY in the state budget.
Have a great day,”
Additional Information:
- Remember to be polite, respectful, and concise during the call.
- If the elected official asks for specific data or success stories about Double Up Food Bucks NY in your region, let them know you can follow up via email and to ask for the best contact email to reach them at. You can then email Cooper Rohan at crohan@fieldandforknetwork.com who will follow up with their offices.
- If the official expresses support for Double Up Food Bucks NY, thank them for their stance and urge them to continue advocating for the program during budget discussions and encourage their colleagues to do the same.
Check out the social media toolkit and download social media messaging samples to help spread the word about Double Up Food Bucks NY. These posts cover what the program is, how it works, our mission, and much more.
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Every day we work to make it easier for low-income families to eat fresh fruits and vegetables while supporting family farmers and growing our local economies. The impacts that this work is having on the lives of our customers, our community partners, and our farmers is truly a win-win-win for our communities. Meet the Faces of Double Up and hear directly from the field just how powerful Double Up Food Bucks NY is and how it’s changing lives.
Key Contacts
To learn more about the Double Up Food Bucks NY program or our own advocacy efforts, please contact Josh McGuire or Cooper Rohan.
