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What are Double Dollars?
Every Tuesday October 17, 2023 - March 5, 2024, any shopper using their FoodShare/QUEST card to purchase groceries will be eligible to receive up to $20 worth of Double Dollars vouchers.* These vouchers help purchase fresh, canned and frozen produce, and seeds and seedlings for growing edible plants.
For every $5 you spent using FoodShare/QUEST for any FoodShare/QUEST eligible items, the Co-op will give you 1 $5 Double Dollar voucher, up to $20. The vouchers can be used at any Willy Street Co-op retail location on any day October 2023 through May 2024 (as funds allow the program to continue) to purchase:
- All items in our Produce Department
- Canned and frozen fruit, vegetables and legumes
- Seeds and seedlings for growing edible plants
*Funds for Double Dollars are limited, and the $20 voucher maximum is for all three stores Co-op wide, not per store. No FoodShare/QUEST benefits participant may receive more than $20 worth of Double Dollars vouchers on the same Tuesday from Willy Street Co-op. Distribution is associated with the EBT card number used for purchase.
Answers to some questions you may have:
Q: How do the vouchers work?
A: The vouchers are each a value of up to $5. To receive the full value of the voucher, you must spend at least the full $5. If you spend less than $5, you will still be remitting the entire voucher.
Q: Can I use more than one Double Dollars voucher at a time?
A: Yes. You can use as many Double Dollars vouchers in one shopping trip as you like.
Q: When can I spend my Double Dollars vouchers?
A: You can spend your Double Dollars vouchers on your very next shopping trip and you can use any or all of your vouchers from October through May as funds allow the program to continue.
Q: How many times can I receive Double Dollars vouchers on a Double Dollars Tuesday?
A: Each FoodShare/QUEST benefits participant is eligible to receive up to 4 vouchers per Tuesday Co-op wide. Once the same FoodShare/QUEST benefits participant has received 4 vouchers on a Tuesday at any Willy Street Co-op location, they are not eligible to receive any more Double Dollars at any location on that Tuesday.
Q: What if I cannot spend all of my Double Dollars vouchers this year?
A: You can hold on to your Double Dollars vouchers from the Co-op until next year and use them anytime October through May at the Co-op as funds allow the program to continue.
Q: Can anyone use my Double Dollars vouchers?
A: No. You will need to show your FoodShare/QUEST card to the cashier when redeeming the vouchers.
Q: Are WIC purchases at Willy North eligible for receiving Double Dollars vouchers?
A: No. Only FoodShare/QUEST purchases are eligible for receiving Double Dollars vouchers.
Q: Can I use Double Dollars when I make purchases using WIC at Willy North?
A: Yes. You can redeem Double Dollars vouchers when you make purchases using WIC at Willy North, FoodShare/QUEST or any other tender type we accept at all Co-op locations.
Q: Can I use Double Dollars vouchers from a farmers’ market at the Co-op?
A: No. Only the vouchers we distribute can be redeemed at the Co-op. The farmers’ markets cannot accept our vouchers either. They are two separate tender-types under the same Double Dollars umbrella program: vouchers for the farmers’ markets, vouchers for the Co-op.
Q: Do I have to be an Owner of the Co-op to participate in Double Dollars Tuesdays?
A: No. Anyone using FoodShare/QUEST to make purchases at the Co-op on Tuesdays while the program is available will be able to receive Double Dollars vouchers.
If you are not an Owner, and you are using FoodShare/QUEST, we encourage you to consider becoming an Owner and participating in our Access Program, which will provide you an additional 10% off all groceries, stretching your FoodShare/QUEST purchases, Double Dollars purchases, and all other tender-types you use for your grocery shopping budget even further. Please stop by the Customer Service Desk if you would like to become an Owner and participate in the Access Program.
Q: Which Co-op locations are participating in the Double Dollars program?
A: All Co-op locations (East, North and West).
Q: Can I redeem or use Double Dollars vouchers on the online store?
A: No, Double Dollars cannot be used for or received from online orders.
Q: What organization administers Double Dollars?
A: Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin. They also handle distribution of Double Dollars at many local farmers markets - see their website's Double Dollars page's Double Dollars page for a list of current participating markets.
Q: What is/How can I participate in FoodShare/QUEST?
A: FoodShare/QUEST is the Wisconsin arm of the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It is a public benefit that provides extra money for groceries to low-income individuals and families. The benefits come on an easy-to-use debit-like card that can be used at the Co-op, many farmers markets, and most major grocery stores. To find out if you may be eligible, please call Second Harvest at 1-877-366-3635 for a confidential screening. During your screening, a FoodShare Outreach specialist will assist you with an application, answer questions, and connect you with other great community resources.
Q: What is a FoodShare/QUEST benefits participant?
A: Each FoodShare/QUEST benefits account/EBT card number is considered a single benefits participant. Multiple people eligible to withdraw funds from the same FoodShare/QUEST account/EBT card number are considered the same participant. The Co-op does not have the ability to distinguish how many people in a household are eligible to withdraw FoodShare/QUEST benefits from the same EBT card.
Q: What if I lost my Double Dollars voucher(s)?
A: We cannot re-issue Double Dollars vouchers if they were lost. After the vouchers are issued, it is the customer’s responsibility to keep track of them.
Q: What if I damaged my Double Dollars voucher(s)?
A: We will do our best to accept all legitimate and legible Double Dollars vouchers. We cannot accept Double Dollars vouchers that have been duplicated, damaged beyond recognition, and/or do not have a legible PLU number, legible unique coupon number, and useable barcode/UPC number.
Q: Why are Double Dollars vouchers only available on Tuesdays, and why is the limit $20 per Tuesday Co-op wide for each FoodShare/QUEST benefits participant instead of per store location?
A: Our goal is to make the program at the Co-op last from late fall to early spring and to help as many people have an opportunity to receive Double Dollars vouchers as possible. Based on the amount of money available to fund the program at both the Co-op and the Farmers’ Market, we can only afford to offer the vouchers once per week, at $20 per FoodShare/QUEST benefits participant Co-op wide. While we know that Tuesdays may not be the best for all, we also know that no matter what day we select, it wouldn’t be convenient for everyone. We choose the same day of each week to keep consistent, and make it clear to customers when the vouchers are available.
The program costs about $185,000 to operate at current levels and the program is funded by donations. To add another day of distribution at the Co-op it would cost twice that amount. You can help increase the funding supporting Double Dollars by reusing bags when you shop the Co-op and by making cash donations at the registers using the Double Dollars Fund scan cards. Donations and what the Co-op saves from your reuse of bags are sent to Community Action Coalition to support the program and provide vouchers at both the Co-op and participating Farmers’ Markets.
Farmers markets can offer Double Dollars every time they are open, because they are not open every day and do not have the same volume of traffic that we do.
Q: What makes Double Dollars Tuesdays possible?
A: Double Dollars Tuesdays are made possible thanks to a partnership with the City of Madison, Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Dane County, Public Health Madison & Dane County, Willy Street Co-op, and other private funders.
You can contribute to the Double Dollars Fund at the cash registers by selecting a scan card to make a cash donation or by reusing bags so that the Co-op can save the money we would spend on disposable bags to contribute to the Fund.