A Fresh Bucks customer shopping at Pike Place Market, one of 45+ retailers where Fresh Bucks customers can spend their benefits to buy fruits and vegetables. Photo by Naomi Ishisaka. Seattle’s Fresh Bucks program is ringing in the new year with a major expansion! On January 1, Fresh Bucks welcomed more than 4,500 households off the waitlist, increased monthly benefits from $40 to $60, and automatically extended benefits for 2025-enrolled and active households for another year.
And on top of all that, there’s still room for new enrollment! Fill out the Fresh Bucks application at seattlefreshbucks.org.
Food costs have increased nearly 30% since 2020 across the country and are the most difficult household expense to afford for many. With healthier fruit- and vegetable-forward foods often costing more than processed foods, people are less likely to have a healthy, balanced diet. The City is doing more than ever to ensure Seattleites have access to healthy food, especially with uncertainty around federal food benefits.
This historic expansion is made possible by City investments that about double the Fresh Bucks program budget. This is the largest investment in Seattle Fresh Bucks since the passage of Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax in 2017.
Operated by our team at OSE, Seattle’s Fresh Bucks provides monthly benefits for income-qualified Seattle households — now serving about 17,000 households — to purchase fruits and vegetables at 45+ participating retailers, including farmers markets, independently-owned grocers, and local Safeway stores.
Recent research from the University of Washington showed that Fresh Bucks significantly improves food security. The study showed that enrolled households experience a 31% higher rate of food security and consume at least three daily servings of fruits and vegetables 37% more often. The research also revealed that by helping people access more nutritious foods, Fresh Bucks is reducing the risk of diabetes, heart problems, and other health threats.
More than 70% of Fresh Bucks households are part of communities experiencing disproportionate rates of diet-related diseases and food insecurity, often due to limited options for grocery shopping, well-paying jobs, and public transportation. Fresh Bucks has been partnering with trusted organizations embedded in these communities for many years to enroll new households.
“We are in a challenging time and with [federal] assistance benefits being reduced, our clients need more help than ever before. Increasing the monthly benefit and helping more people to get served with Fresh Bucks will go a long way.” – Liz Holland of the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, a Fresh Bucks community enrollment partner.
This approach has helped us ensure we are serving community members who speak languages other than English and face higher rates of health disparities. Today, more than half of Fresh Bucks customers prefer a language other than English. In recent years, Fresh Bucks has also expanded to new independent retailers that offer a diverse range of traditional, culturally-specific produce options — serving Mexican, Chinese, halal, and many more cuisines.
Fresh Bucks contributes to a stronger and more accessible local food system by aligning with the City’s Food Action Plan, Seattle’s roadmap to building an equitable, sustainable, and resilient regional food system. Fresh Bucks partners with local farmers and vendors with environmentally friendly practices to help reduce climate change impacts. These impacts interrupt and raise costs associated with farming, food production, and supply chains.
Fresh Bucks is funded by the City of Seattle, including Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax, which invests in healthy food access programs designed to reach communities most impacted by food insecurity.
Apply on the Fresh Bucks website, or apply on the City’s Affordability Portal which will connect applicants with more City assistance programs. Fresh Bucks will automatically place income-qualified households on the program waitlist to be contacted by mail or email if a spot opens. Fresh Bucks spots become available if a current household no longer needs their benefits, moved out of Seattle, or has not used their benefits for several months.
We’ll see you in the produce aisle!