When walls are erected, some are stopped in their tracks, while others endeavor to find a way around them.
The latter is how the Fredericksburg Food Co-Op approached the issue of new rules set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which hampered its food programs meant to assist those in need.
Last month, the community-owned grocer and nonprofit organization launched its new Community Coop Cash program, which gives users a 10% discount store-wide to anyone on federal government food assistance. This includes programs such as Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and unemployment.
According to Co-op CEO Suzie Grumko, the new program replaced its Carrot Cash program after it ran afoul of new mandates set by the USDA. Grumko said that these mandates involved what she called “twisting” the meaning of the Equal Treatment Provision (ETP).
Previously, the co-op’s Carrot Cash program covered EBT recipients with a 20% discount for fruits and vegetables. According to Grumko, the USDA determined that any program that gives preferential treatment to customers using EBT is a violation of the ETP.
Food organizations across the country, such as the co-op were hit with these new rules during the recent Federal government shutdown. Locally, this included organizations such as the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank and SERVE of Stafford County.
“After the Federal government forced the shutdown of our previous program, we determined that there was still a need”, she said. “The only way around it is to make sure that any program that’s offered to people is not necessarily just on EBT but for more than one group.”
In response, Grumko and her team researched programs from around the country and adopted portions from each to create the new program. The CCC program is funded through donations as was the previous Carrot Cash. The donations start at a minimum $5 and can reach as high as $200.
The CEO said that the reception to the new program has been overwhelming, with several people already signing up through its website. Grumko also mentioned that the co-op would be discreet with applicants’ information both during the review process and when they purchase items at the checkout counter.
According to Grumko, the new program has shown an improvement in the number of signups compared to Carrot Cash. As of publication, 28 people have signed up for CCC; but the program may help many more, since the program only counts the head of household when it comes to families.
The CEO said that was due to the fact that CCC offers more options than just produce. In addition to food, the new program can be used for hygiene products. She commented that it was “bizarre” that no program offered a discount in the purchase of such products.
Grumko also mentioned that between the closing of the old program and the implementation of the new CCC program, the co-op honored anyone who still had Carrot Cash at its own expense, so no one would go hungry during the Thanksgiving holiday.
As organizations like the Food Co-Op work to find ways to serve those on federal assistance, the USDA continues to make changes.
In an announcement made by the department on Dec. 2, Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins threatened to withhold federal food assistance from states that refused to provide the names and immigration status of recipients. This was in response to pushback made by several Democratic-led states after a ruling made by the United States Supreme Court on the matter.
