Company : Kenny Family ShopRites of Delaware
Program category : 2017

Origins:

The Kenny Family Foundation(KFF) is partnering with Kenny Family ShopRites of Delaware to increase the purchasing power and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by low-income residents of Wilmington, Delaware who are SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program ) beneficiaries, through financial incentives and education designed to decrease the risk of chronic disease.(sentence needs to connect or finish) The KFF/ShopRite Incentive Program “Green Bucks” will take place at a single Kenny Family ShopRite in the low-income neighborhood of South Wilmington, where over 25% of the population live at poverty level and a family of four struggles to live on an income of less than $24,300.00 annually. The Green Bucks program will provide SNAP beneficiaries with a $2 off coupon for fresh fruits and vegetables for every $5 spent using SNAP benefits. The goal of this program is to remove barriers that may limit SNAP beneficiaries’ ability to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. The program also seeks to enhance the Kenny Family ShopRites pre-existing nutrition education programs that focus on fruits and vegetables and to make those programs available to SNAP beneficiaries in South Wilmington. Nutrition education will be provided in the form of healthy eating supermarket tours and a produce pick of the week highlighting specific produce items to increase awareness of various seasonal/local fresh fruits and vegetables. The ultimate goal of the KFF Incentive Program is to educate SNAP beneficiaries to create lifelong healthy eating habits.

Contribution:

Kenny Family ShopRite’s has contributed to this in many ways. The Kenny Family is provide the nutrition education free to the community and provide the produce for sampling. They provided the technologies involved to make the program a success. Their charitable arm, the Kenny Family Foundation has a mission is to be the active supporter of the local community by investing in well-being, improving quality of life, and supporting a sustainable future. Their emphasis on promoting social welfare, providing assistance to those in need and contributing to humanitarian endeavors ties directly to the support ShopRite offers the community.

Objectives:

The Kenny Family Foundation and ShopRites main objective is to provide fruit and vegetable incentives at the point of purchase. Providing incentives will make fruits and vegetables more financially accessible to low-income consumers participating in SNAP. Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables can lead to an improved health status by lowering the risk of developing chronic diseases. The program provides much needed nutrition education. Nutrition education helps to provide lasting knowledge to participants on how to acquire and maintain healthier eating habits. Providing nutrition education will promote a healthy diet.

Impact:

This program will put $45,000 dollars’ worth of fruits and vegetables into the baskets of people who need them the most. Fruit and vegetable incentive programs have shown an increase in produce purchases during the program and after the program among SNAP beneficiaries. It will also teach consumers the importance of fruits and vegetables and allow them to sample new kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Quote:

“This program means hundreds of people will be adding necessary fruits and vegetables to their diets. I believe this is just the beginning, and we hope to expand and begin other initiatives to help all people eat well and be happy.” – Melissa Kenny, Owner and Director of Marketing

“The Green Bucks program is a great opportunity for us to increase fresh produce consumption and make it more available to our customers at ShopRite of Christina Crossing,” Cassandra Umile, R.D., L.D.N. Corporate Dietitian 

Support Statement:

“The Green Bucks program is a great opportunity for us to increase fresh produce consumption and make it more available to our customers at ShopRite of Christina Crossing,” Cassandra Umile, R.D., L.D.N. Corporate Dietitian