Indiana residents who receive SNAP food benefits can get extra food through the Double Up Indiana program! If you live in this state, you need to know how this works.
What is Double Up Indiana?
Double Up Indiana is the official name of the Double Up Food Bucks program for this state. It’s an incredible program that helps low income shoppers get more fresh fruits and vegetables for their money.
It’s essentially a dollar-matching program. If you spend $5, you’ll get an extra $5 for a total of $10 in purchasing power. If you spend $10, you’ll get an extra $10 for a total of $20. The program does have a maximum, though, so the most you’ll ever receive in free benefits is $20 per day. That means you can spend $20 and get an extra $20, for a total in $40 in free produce!
It’s a great way to make the most of your food benefits and eat healthy on a limited budget.
Who is eligible for Double Up Indiana?
This program only has two requirements:
- You must have an active SNAP EBT card and use it to shop for groceries.
- You must shop from a participating store or market.
That’s it! As long as you meet those two requirements, you can receive extra food from Double Up Indiana.
What can I buy?
You can use the credits from the doubling program to purchase healthy, locally grown food including:
- Fresh Fruits
- Fresh Vegetables
- Fresh Herbs
- Mushrooms
- Food-Producing Plants and Seedlings
- Seeds for Food-Producing Plants
Many states limit the purchases to just fruits and vegetables, so Indiana is actually really generous with this program.
How does it work?
The process depends on whether you go to a farmers market or an actual grocery store.
At the Market
If you shop at a participating farmers market, you’ll need to look for the Market Manager or the Double Up Indiana booth. If you skip this step, you will not be able to double your benefits.
This first step is necessary because not every vendor is set up to process EBT payments. Instead, you’ll swipe your card once for an amount of money that you specify. The manager will give you tokens that you can use to buy products at the market.
You’ll receive two sets of tokens: one set that is equal to the amount of SNAP benefits you spent and can be used on any EBT-eligible items at the market. The second set is usually a different color and can only be used on eligible locally-grown food.
You can use your double up tokens at any vendor that displays a sign indicating they accept those tokens.
At the Store
At the store, it’s actually a little easier. You just shop like normal and then tell the cashier you want to participate in Double Up Indiana.
When you pay with your SNAP card, the cashier will do one of three things depending on the store’s policies:
- You may receive an immediately 50% discount on the fruits and vegetables you purchased (up to $20 off).
- You may receive a coupon for free fruits and vegetables on your next visit (up to $20).
- You may receive a credit on a Double Up loyalty card that can be used to buy fruits and vegetables.
It just depends on how the store handles this program.
Where can I use Double Up Indiana?
This program is currently in a pilot phase, so almost all of the participating locations are near Fort Wayne.
Fort Wayne
There are currently a few stores:
- 3 Rivers Food Co-Op Store
- Health Food Shoppe of Fort Wayne
There are also a few participating markets:
- Fort Wayne Farmers Market
- Rose Avenue Farm & Plowshares Food Hub
- Southside Farmers Heal Market
- Parkview Community Greenhouse Market
- McCormick Heal Market
- Johnnie Mae Farm
Goshen
There is currently a location in Goshen:
- Goshen Farmers Market
Indianapolis
There are a few participants in Indianapolis as well:
- Broad Ripple Farmers Market
- Indy Winter Farms Market
Don’t forget your Indiana EBT discounts!
If you have an EBT card in Indiana, you don’t want to miss out on these incredible EBT discounts!
Nicole Thelin
Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.