DAYTON, Ohio – A week before their spending power was set to shrink, shoppers filed into Gem City Market hoping their money would go farther. It was the third time the co-op grocery store was running its “We Gotchu” program, which promises to cover 50% of eligible SNAP and EBT services.
The program began as a way to make more food accessible and affordable to West Dayton families and now, with the pandemic-era assistance set to expire, Gem City Market hopes to find funding to keep it running in what they expect to be an acute time of need.
As the community programs manager, Morgan Hood believes the “We Gotchu” program is a natural extension of the store’s original mission.
“To provide accessible, affordable food,” she said. “When families get access to not just affordable food but quality food, that’s going to change their health holistically.”
It started in October with an anonymous donor, who wanted to ensure their funds contributed to that mission in the most efficient way possible. Hood said the “We Gotchu” program felt like the most natural fit, to serve those who need it most.
The program lasted until funds expired, but Hood said it was such a success at getting shoppers in the doors. She wanted to find a way to keep it going. She started soliciting donors for future programs, launching the second “We Gotchu” weekend in January and third a month later.
“This is more than just a grocery store,” Hood said. “We actually want to serve our customers in a way that other grocery stores aren’t doing.”
The timing isn’t lost on Hood either. With emergency SNAP allotments set to end in March, 1.5 million Ohioans are set to lose the help they’ve relied on for the past three years, while coping with food prices far higher than 2019 numbers.
Michelle, a SNAP recipient who declined to share her last name, said she’s worried about the impact the next few months will have on her family, which is why she wanted to come to Gem City Market on Sunday to get what she could.
“I would’ve spent a little over $200 and today I was able to spend just under $100,” she said. “It’s best to get what you can and stock up so you can budget accordingly for the months ahead.”
She said her cart, primarily full of vegetables, fish and meat, should last long enough to make healthy meals for the next week or so, and she said it’s that quality she’s worried about losing when those SNAP dollars run out.
“It’s a tremendous help,” she said. “Especially with the prices on the rise of everything from fresh fruits to vegetables, it’s hard to feed your family properly.”
Hood said Gem City Market has done its best to keep its prices affordable to the West Dayton community it serves, though its shelves are not immune to the current market trends.
“We’ve swapped hundreds of products out over the last year to meet that demand and prayerfully with our new partnership with [the National Grocers Co-op] we’re going to be able to get even more affordable products,” she said.
Still, Hood said the best way to keep their food affordable for their most vulnerable customers is finding ways to help stretch their dollars. She considers the “We Gotchu” program a temporary solution, but it only provides help as long as funds last. Typically, that’s a few days maximum.
“Our hope for the future is that it will encourage generous community members to continue to donate so we can maintain this program over time and help bring more people into the store,” she said.
Hood said Gem City Market would like to find enough donor support to keep the “We Gotchu” program running at least once a month for the next year.
As for Michelle, she said she’s looking for deals wherever she can, so she can keep feeding her family the meals they deserve. She said more “We Gotchu” days would make a big difference for her and her family.
“I’m sure a lot of families would benefit from it,” she said.
Food banks across Ohio are also preparing for the rise in need as emergency SNAP allotments expire. In Dayton, The Foodbank, Inc. has received $1.6 million in additional funding from Ohio’s spending bill it will use to help with food purchases and it has recently hired a SNAP outreach specialist to help families navigate the changes and apply for assistance in the future.
