Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Program
Mill City Grows is proud support the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) which gives families greater access to fresh food
ATTENTION SNAP USERS!
Starting September 1, HIP monthly amounts are returning to the tiered levels of $40, $60, or $80 depending on SNAP household size.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration has announced that the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) will restore its tiered benefit structure effective September 1, 2025, providing more support for larger households to access nutritious food while strengthening Massachusetts’ local agricultural economy.
Beginning September 1, the new HIP benefit caps will be:
- Households of 1–2 people will continue to receive $40/month
- Households of 3–5 people will receive $60/month
- Households of 6 or more will receive $80/month
What is the Healthy Incentives Program?
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.
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.