Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Program
Mill City Grows is proud support the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) which gives families greater access to fresh food
JOIN MILL CITY GROWS AND TAKE ACTION TODAY TO FULLY FUND HIP!
On December 1, 2024, more than 175,000 MA households could lose access to fresh food due to an extreme budget cut in the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP)
[October 2024] – TODAY, we ask you to join Mill City Grows and our statewide partners in a critical CALL TO ACTION to support the current Campaign for HIP Funding. Communities across Massahusetts have just learned that the state-approved budget for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) is $15 million, which is $10 million short of the $25 million budget that was requested by Governor Healey. We need to make our voices heard to keep HIP fully funded!
What is the Healthy Incentives Program? HIP is a year-round benefit managed by the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) that helps Massachusetts residents purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables at no extra cost. Each month, the HIP benefit provides a dollar-for-dollar reimbursement to SNAP users when they buy fresh food directly from Massachusetts farmers. This reimbursement ranges from $40-$80, depending on household size.
Effective December 1, 2024, the DTA is drastically reducing the monthly HIP reimbursement to just $20 per household, regardless of household size. CLICK HERE to get details.
This reduction is absolutely unacceptable and poses severe health and food access risks to more than 175,000 households across the state.
Please Take Action Today!
- Senate President Karen Spilka: 617-722-1500 and Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov
- Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues: 508-646-0650 and Michael.Rodrigues@
masenate.gov - Speaker of the House Ron Mariano: 617-722-2500 and Ronald.Mariano@mahouse.gov
- House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz: 617-722-2990 and Aaron.M.Michlewitz@
mahouse.gov
We need HIP! Personal stories from Lowell, MA
I’ve been using the HIP program as much as I can. It is a real convenience for me as I am a compromised vegetarian. I need a lot of vegetables. The people at the market are always lovely and Mill City Grows has an excellent program, as do other participating HIP vendors. This is an important program and I want to keep using it continually. I am very sorry to see the benefit decrease to just $20.
I work at Mill City Grows in Lowell and work at our mobile farmers markets 3-4 times a week. I’ve seen how many people are using SNAP and HIP to purchase produce from us. When we told one of our customers about her HIP benefit, she literally cried because it just made such a huge difference at a time when she was in a really bad financial situation. Honestly, I think it’s a travesty that the DTA decided to drop the HIP benefit to just $20 per household. This is harmful for so many families, even for just ONE month.
I benefit from the HIP program, and it would be a horrible thing for the state to cut it because I cannot afford to buy vegetables at a regular grocery store — they’re just too expensive. I’m a diabetic, so I need fresh vegetables and fruits. I would really appreciate the program getting the funding it needs. I really benefit from HIP — it’s the best thing for my health.