Zallie Family Markets Debuting Good Food Bucks
Zallie Family Markets and its Zallie Community Foundation have unveiled a new initiative, Good Food Bucks, with the aim of tackling nutrition insecurity among SNAP EBT customers. Good Food Bucks, a New Jersey nutrition incentive program administered by urban farming and gardening organization City Green Inc., doubles the value of produce purchases for shoppers who use SNAP by giving them a matching coupon every time they buy fruits and vegetables at participating grocery stores. Through the initiative, shoppers purchasing produce with SNAP will now get Good Food Bucks at the independent operator’s ShopRites of Lawnside and Sicklerville. Both stores are located in New Jersey’s Camden County, where more 74,000 people currently participate in the SNAP program – 30,000-plus of them children.
At those locations, when a shopper buys fresh produce using a SNAP EBT card and a ShopRite Price Plus card, they will receive a matching coupon for up to $5 to apply to future purchases of fruits and vegetables. Good Food Buck coupons can be redeemed for more fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs at the same ShopRite store.
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“We are thrilled to partner with City Green and join the Good Food Bucks network,” said Renee Zallie, founder and president of the Zallie Community Foundation. “The program will build upon the Zallie Community Foundation’s initiatives to fight food insecurity and increase access to nutritious foods. We are grateful to give our customers the opportunity to enjoy more fruits and vegetables at our Zallie Family Markets ShopRite stores in the Lawnside and Sicklerville communities.”
“City Green is excited to bring Good Food Bucks SNAP incentives to Camden County and add to the landscape of food security initiatives happening in the area,” noted Lisa Martin, director of food access at Clifton, N.J.-based City Green, which has operated the program since 2011. “Zallie Family Markets and The Zallie Community Foundation have shown strong commitments to improving health and wellness in their communities, and they were a natural partner for the Good Food Bucks program. Good Food Bucks help to ease grocery budgets so shoppers can have more choice in selecting high-quality, fresh, healthy food for themselves and their families.”
The Good Food Bucks program will officially kick off at Zallie Family Markets on the afternoon of Thursday, April 25 at the ShopRite of Lawnside at 130 North White Horse Pike. The Good Food Bucks team will share program information from noon to 2:30 p.m.
The Good Food Bucks program is New Jersey’s largest statewide nutrition incentive program, spanning more than 45 grocery stores, farm stands and farmers markets across 20 counties.
Clementon, N.J.-based Zallie Family Markets owns and operates 10 ShopRite stores in South Jersey and one on Knorr Street in Philadelphia. Zallie Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is the philanthropic partner to Zallie Family Markets.
Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern is the nation’s largest retailer-owned cooperative. The company comprises more than 40 members, including Zallie Family Markets, that independently own and operate 360-plus supermarkets. Wakefern is No. 29 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 listing of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
