Flint’s Growing Food Access

By Kiandra Powdhar

On a chilly, rainy day, the Flint community showed up in full force for Edible Flint’s 2025 Garden Kit Distribution Day. The Double Up Food Bucks team joined the community event to share information about how our nutrition incentive program works and was blown away by the energy and participation. We joined volunteers from Edible Flint, Flint Fresh, the Oatmeal Club, and others who brought the event to life.

This event presents a unique opportunity for shoppers with EBT/Michigan Bridge Cards to use their benefits to purchase seeds and starter plants, boosting access for them to grow fresh fruits and vegetables at home.

A new milestone this year: all of the produce sold was sourced from Flint Fresh, a Double Up partner. That meant people using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could earn Double Up Food Bucks to spend at other participating sites—whether they bought fresh fruits and vegetables or the seeds to grow them. For example, a $20 purchase of seeds, seedlings, and/or fresh produce would earn participants $20 in Double Up to use on additional produce over the next 90 days.

Our Double Up team—Community Engagement Manager Jessica Lofton-Williams and Flint Ambassador Aaron Neeley—hosted a table near the checkout area, assisting people with registration and issuing Double Up cards. Any community member who has a Bridge Card is automatically eligible to enroll in Double Up. We welcomed 10 new participants to the program. One young couple shared that they were most excited to grow the greens they had just purchased and to buy watermelon using their Double Up earnings.

Jessica reflected on this event’s transformation since the early COVID years, when everything was drive-through only and interactions were limited. Even in 2024, the event remained fully car-based. However, this year, the return of in-person engagement allowed for richer conversations and deeper understanding of how the program works in the community. Jessica also noticed many attendees already understood how Double Up works as part of the program’s ongoing outreach efforts.

Aaron‘s dedication to Flint ispersonal motivatedd by his love for his community and his daughter, who is growing up in the city. Aware of the economic challenges Flint has faced, Aaron focuses on supporting residents to learn how to grow their own food. He lives by the principle: give a person a fish, and they’ll eat for a day; teach them to fish, and they’ll eat for a lifetime.

Aaron believes youth education is key: children who grow tomatoes, spinach, or strawberries are far more likely to eat them. That’s why he often brings his daughter to youth-focused events—instilling healthy habits and an understanding of where food comes from. Double Up Food Bucks has been available in Flint since 2015, helping residents using SNAP receive a dollar-for-dollar match on their purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables at 10+ participating locations in the city, up to $20 a day. Learn more about how the program works in Flint. Jane Richardson, a longtime Edible Flint board member, shared that the event continues to evolve in response to community feedback. Thanks to consistent support from Walker’s Nursery and Wojo Grocery, prices have remained stable, helping ensure the program’s sustainability.

Initially, every participant received the same 16 plant starters, but after feedback, more options were added—such as a choice between collards, kale, or spinach. Jane proudly reported that this year’s event recorded over 270 purchases—more than ever before.

As a lifelong Flint resident, she feels hopeful: “I was born and raised in Flint—and I’m still rising.” She couldn’t believe people were earning Double Up when they bought seedlings, noting that outside of a farm stand in Royal Oak, this program is truly unique. The smiles and shared optimism at this year’s Garden Kit Distribution Day say it all: Flint is growing, one seed at a time.