Cinnamon rolls and chili are among the offerings Hy-Vee is providing to help feed families as the government shutdown endangers federal food assistance programs.
Fareway also is stepping up assistance. Neither of the Iowa-based supermarket chains’ programs appear to run afoul of guidance the U.S. Department of Agriculture released Friday, Oct. 31, forbidding discounts or other assistance intended only for families eligible to receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program support. The USDA administers the SNAP program.
SNAP funding ran out when November began Saturday, although court orders will restore at least partial payments from a contingency fund.
The USDA memo reminded retailers they must sell food to beneficiaries of SNAP at the same prices charged to other customers, cautioning, “you cannot treat SNAP-EBT customers differently than any other customer.” It added that providing “discounts or services only to SNAP paying customers is a SNAP violation” if the seller does not have a waiver of the rules.
Grocery retailers are typically the largest processors of SNAP and SNAP electronic benefit transfer payments ― amounting to about $8 billion a month nationally.
What is Hy-Vee providing?
West Des Moines-based Hy-Vee announced Oct. 31 that at stores with hot food service, it will give away a free meal to all children ages 12 and under and that anyone else can purchase that same meal for $3. The company also said Oct. 28 that it was donating $100,000 to Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, to assist food distribution in its eight-state region, and $25,000 to a DoorDash initiative to waive delivery fees for customers who receive food assistance.
In response to a question about the USDA guidance, Hy-Vee spokesperson Tina Potthoff pointed out that the company’s free and low-priced meal offerings aren’t limited to SNAP recipients, nor is its aid to food banks. Door Dash administers the food delivery program.
“Hy-Vee is committed to helping make sure no one goes hungry,” Hy-Vee Chair and CEO Jeremy Gosch said in the Oct. 28 announcement.
Potthoff added Monday, “Our recent increased efforts to help address food insecurity across Hy-Vee’s region are in direct response to the recent need that we’ve seen around the Midwest. Over the past several days, we’ve had numerous food bank partners reach out to us to share that their inventories are rapidly depleting due to the uncertainty around food assistance. We have developed close relationships with these organizations through our ongoing hunger fighting initiatives over the years and are glad we can continue to provide assistance.”
Hy-Vee will offer customers $5 or $10 bundles including canned vegetables, pasta sauce, canned proteins and cereal to donate to local food banks. Pothoff added that Hy-Vee also will be launching a “round up at the register” for local food banks in response to customer interest in helping.
She said the company is preparing seasonal initiatives that include its annual Hams for the Holidays ham giveaways, has employees volunteering at local soup kitchens and community meal sites and is providing food via Meals on Wheels, among other efforts.
“As always, Hy-Vee wants to support the communities that support our stores,” she said. “We pride ourselves on being a place where people can turn to when they need help.”
What is Fareway providing?
Johnston-based Fareway announced three programs throughout November “aimed at supporting individuals and families facing food insecurity in the communities we serve.” In a statement Monday, Fareway spokesperson Elias Johnson said the programs are part of other initiatives through which Fareway supports communities where it has stores and have nothing to do with the pause in SNAP funding.
“We are grateful for individual groups who are reaching out across the communities we serve who want to donate money and items to this effort,” Johnson said in a statement.
The Fareway initiatives including one that, like Hy-Vee’s, allows customers to purchase pre-bagged, SNAP-eligible food items at any Fareway location for distribution. Bagged grocery donations will be distributed to local food banks or pantries near each store.
Shoppers also may purchase and donate individual food items. Or they may donate money to local food banks at checkout lanes, “with every dollar going toward purchasing wholesome food products for nearby food banks or pantries,” according to a Fareway news release.
In addition, Fareway announced in the news release that it will match all monetary contributions to food banks through the month of November.
“We’re deeply grateful to our customers who join us in supporting those who need it most,” Fareway CEO Reynolds Cramer said in the release.
What is on Hy-Vee’s menu? Cinnamon rolls and chili, for one
Hy-Vee’s free and low-priced meal program began Monday and will run from 4-7 p.m. daily through Friday.
Meals are:
Pothoff said that “as the week goes on, we will be evaluating whether we continue to offer these meal deals.”
Are other grocers or restaurants giving away meals?
From Friday to Sunday, all Taco John’s restaurants offered a free meal of a beef or bean burrito and a junior serving of Potato Oles. Taco John’s also will donate to local food banks for every Taco Bravo sold Thursday.
On Oct. 26, DoorDash announced it would waive delivery and service fees for up to 300,000 SNAP recipients on one order in November if they have a linked SNAP/EBT card on their DoorDash account and place an order at Dollar General, Hy-Vee or nine other grocery chains.
It also will deliver 1 million meals from food bank partners, also for free, Max Rettig, DoorDash vice president and global head of public policy, wrote in a USA Today opinion column published Saturday.
The SNAP benefits are for payment of the merchants and do not cover fees or delivery, which Rettig said is an option for people who have mobility issues or can’t get away from work to shop.
He wrote that the DoorDash program is similar to those being offered by other companies such as Bobbie, an infant formula maker that is providing discounted baby formula for SNAP recipients.
“No American should go hungry, period,” he wrote. “Every family should be able to put food on the table. That’s not a political issue. It’s a core American value.”
A DoorDash spokesperson said the company has an existing waiver from the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service that allows it to set different conditions for SNAP customers, including providing free service.
Philip Joens covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184 or pjoens@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Free cinnamon rolls and chili for kids among Iowa supermarket offerings in SNAP crisis
Reporting by Philip Joens, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
