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- By Chez Oxendine
- Food | Agriculture
Two tribally owned markets have begun doubling federal food assistance for fresh produce, giving SNAP shoppers up to $20 in daily matching funds as part of a federally funded push to improve access to healthy foods in rural southeastern Oklahoma.
The Choctaw Country Markets, located in Boswell and Clayton, launched the Double Up Oklahoma program late last year through a partnership with Hunger Free Oklahoma. The initiative provides a dollar‑for‑dollar match on SNAP EBT purchases, giving customers additional vouchers they can use exclusively for fresh fruits and vegetables without added salt, sugar, oils or fats.
The Double Up Oklahoma program is funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant administered by Hunger Free Oklahoma, which approached the Choctaw Nation after the two organizations connected through a statewide leadership program. Icy Conn, senior director of retail operations for the tribe, said the timing aligned with ongoing efforts to address food access on the reservation.
“We had identified these communities as food deserts when we built these locations,” Conn said. “This one definitely landed at the right time when people really need it.”
Conn said the tribe spent several months testing and developing software to integrate the voucher system into its point‑of‑sale operations. The program soft‑launched in November before being formally rolled out at the start of the new year.
Although the markets are tribally owned, the benefit is available to anyone using SNAP EBT at the two stores, regardless of tribal citizenship. Conn said participation has already been strong through word of mouth alone.
Leslie Young, program director for Double Up Oklahoma at Hunger Free Oklahoma, said the incentive has shifted how families shop.
“The Double Up program offers SNAP customers an incentive to make healthy food choices while supporting local grocers,” Young said. “We’ve heard customers say that Double Up Oklahoma has changed the way they shop and feed their families while promoting better eating habits, especially for their children.”
The rollout comes as Oklahoma prepares to implement new restrictions on SNAP purchases, including limits on sugary foods such as soda and candy. Conn said the Double Up Oklahoma program helps offset those changes by giving families more room in their budgets for produce.
“They’re trying to make sure their funds are utilized more toward true dinner, full‑plate meals,” Conn said. “This one is also helping build that plate.”
Young wrote in an email to Tribal Business News that Hunger Free Oklahoma believes the Double Up approach better incentivizes healthy food purchases than bans of unhealthy foods.
“The SNAP purchasing waiver limits what foods can be purchased by SNAP users, but they don’t incentivize healthier choices or ban all unhealthy foods, just a small subcategory,” Young wrote. “Currently there is no evidence that limiting what people can purchase with SNAP improves their overall diet and health.”
The USDA grant supporting the program runs through late August or early September. Any expansion to additional Choctaw Country Market locations would depend on whether the grant is renewed and whether program rules change.
“For the next eight months or so, we’re on board with these two stores,” Conn said. “If the opportunity comes up for us to have an impact from an expansion standpoint, we would definitely be open to exploring those opportunities.”
Young said Double Up would love to partner with more tribes, particularly if they have existing markets. Hunger Free Oklahoma already partners in other ways with tribes in the state, she wrote.
“We are always open to more partnerships as resources, i.e. funds, are available,” Young wrote.
