Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Program
Mill City Grows is proud support the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) which gives families greater access to fresh food
Update for SNAP/HIP Clients
With the opening of the federal government, SNAP is running on its normal schedule and amounts. HIP benefits were not affected by the shutdown. To use your HIP benefit, it’s important to keep a SNAP balance on your EBT card, even as little as one cent.
For the most current information on SNAP & HIP, please visit these websites:
- For updates on SNAP: www.mass.gov/snapupdates
- For HIP information: www.mass.gov/hip
- For HIP locations: www.dtafinder.com
What is the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP)?
If you use SNAP, then you get HIP! HIP is a year-round benefit managed by the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) that helps Massachusetts residents purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables at no extra cost. Each month, the HIP benefit provides a dollar-for-dollar reimbursement to SNAP users when they buy fresh food directly from Massachusetts farmers.
The current monthly HIP benefit caps are:
- Households of 1–2 people: $40/month
- Households of 3–5 people: $60/month
- Households of 6 or more: $80/month
We need HIP! Personal stories from Lowell, MA
I’ve been using the HIP program as much as I can. It is a real convenience for me as I am a compromised vegetarian. I need a lot of vegetables. The people at the market are always lovely and Mill City Grows has an excellent program, as do other participating HIP vendors. This is an important program and I want to keep using it continually. I am very sorry to see the benefit decrease to just $20.
I work at Mill City Grows in Lowell and work at our mobile farmers markets 3-4 times a week. I’ve seen how many people are using SNAP and HIP to purchase produce from us. When we told one of our customers about her HIP benefit, she literally cried because it just made such a huge difference at a time when she was in a really bad financial situation. Honestly, I think it’s a travesty that the DTA decided to drop the HIP benefit to just $20 per household. This is harmful for so many families, even for just ONE month.
I benefit from the HIP program, and it would be a horrible thing for the state to cut it because I cannot afford to buy vegetables at a regular grocery store — they’re just too expensive. I’m a diabetic, so I need fresh vegetables and fruits. I would really appreciate the program getting the funding it needs. I really benefit from HIP — it’s the best thing for my health.