ORANGE — A single mother raising two sons, Jennifer Parsons of Athol needs food stamps to feed her children, and the Healthy Incentives Program, or HIP, allows her to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for her family.
“Healthy food is expensive and I want my kids to grow up to be healthy. These programs save the children from medical issues down the road,” said Parsons.
Community members, farmers and local politicians gathered in the Quabbin Harvest to share their stories about the program Friday afternoon.
HIP makes it easier for community members to purchase fresh produce by allowing them to use SNAP or food stamps at local farmers markets and shops that then earns them extra money on their SNAP and EBT cards said Cathy Stanton, chairwoman of the Quabbin Harvest Board of Directors.
The program has exceeded expectations across the state this year. According to state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, the Senate has not yet completed its version of the budget, but the House has allocated $3.5 million for HIP for Fiscal Year 2019.
“The program is solid, people like it, people get it and we just have to push as much money into the program as we can,” the Democrat from Amherst said. “The question is how much further can we go in Fiscal Year 2019.”
Stanton said the program has allowed the Quabbin Harvest to serve more people in the community and support local farmers in the area.
“The Healthy Incentives Program has been terrific for us,” she said. “We have been the number one enroller in the state at times. It has certainly helped us with our cash flow, and it has led us to serve new customers, make new friends and fulfill some of our mission.”
State Rep. Susannah Whipps also emphasized the importance of buying local food and how the HIP program champions that message.
“The closer you buy (food) to where it has come out of the ground, the better it is for you. It hasn’t been processed, it hasn’t been on trucks for weeks, it is from the ground to you — farm to table, and it is so much better,” said Whipps.
Leon Sargent of Athol said receiving $40 from HIP has helped him change his diet and enabled him to find a community at Quabbin Harvest.
“When I walk in here I get recipes. I exchange help in different situations. I find all kinds of neat and interesting stuff … I came here and changed it all around,” he said.
A Type 2 diabetic, Sargent said because of HIP he’s able to eat healthier foods, shopping at grocery stores only when he absolutely has to, and is no longer on medication for his disease.
State Sen. Anne Gobi said she’s seen the benefits of the program in her own area.
“For the farmers in my area, they just love it. Every single farmers market that I went to last summer, somebody was there able to take advantage and able to use the HIP benefits, which was great,” she said.
Some community members expressed concerns about the program’s future under the current presidential administration.
Rosenberg assured them the Commonwealth will do everything in its power to continue these programs, HIP being native to Massachusetts.
“In one of the richest countries in the world, people should not go hungry,” he said.