FoodShare members can get a 50 percent discount on fresh fruits and vegetables at Outpost Natural Foods thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture secured by Outpost and the Hunger Task Force.

The program is called “Produce to the People.” To receive the discount on produce, ask for the discount before paying, show your Quest EBT Card and sign the discount scan voucher. The discount will apply to fresh fruits and vegetables.

The grant comes from the federal government’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, or GusNIP, which is a set of grant programs aimed at evaluating best strategies for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in low-income populations.

Outpost reports that as of July 7, the grant money had supported 3,409 transactions and saved FoodShare members $35,738 since the program began in early April. FoodShare helps low-income people buy food.

The discount is available at Outpost’s four Milwaukee-area locations.

The grant funding the program will continue through 2023, during which Hunger Task Force said it will collect data on the program’s use to determine if the program successfully reached low-income populations and is replicable through other partners.

“Beyond the grant period, our goal is to continue providing incentive discounts on fresh produce and healthy foods through a combination of private and public support,” said Shahree Douglas, Hunger Task Force spokesperson.

Dollars from this grant also fund the Hunger Task Force’s Mobile Market, a “grocery store on wheels” operating in Milwaukee County.

Another program, Milwaukee Market Match, doubles the amount FoodShare participants spend at farmers markets up to $20 per day.