Struggling Families Can Sign Up for Free Produce Program Through Prosperi-Key

United Way of Western Connecticut's New Digital Platform Gives Low-Income Workers
Access to Benefits, Discounts
 
United Way’s program benefits residents in Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, Kent, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Sherman, Stamford, Roxbury, Warren, and Washington.
 
People who need help paying for groceries can now sign up for a program that gives them free produce and other food discounts at participating grocery stores. Healthy Savings provides $10 of free, fresh produce to residents of the 15 towns served by United Way of Western Connecticut. To sign up for the program, qualifying individuals go through a digital platform called Prosperi-Key, which is designed specifically to address the needs of hardworking people or people who live on fixed incomes and are having trouble making ends meet.
 
Prosperi-Key is the new online portal that supports households with incomes above the typical government benefit thresholds. It is the only platform to income-qualify users in this income bracket—through a friendly, confidential, and fast process. It is designed for the 40% of households in Western Connecticut who have trouble paying their bills, despite working hard or living on a fixed income.
 
Allowing people to sign up for Healthy Savings through Prosperi-Key means they can determine if they are qualified for the program at any time of the day or night—without waiting for assistance during business hours.
 
In addition to Healthy Savings, users can learn about 20+ nonprofit programs that may benefit them and 10+ businesses that offer discounts on the Prosperi-Key platform in Western Connecticut.
 
United Way’s program benefits residents in Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, Kent, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Sherman, Stamford, Roxbury, Warren, and Washington.
 
The Healthy Savings program has benefited 670 households in United Way of Western Connecticut’s footprint and has provided $124,000 in fresh produce to those families. United Way hopes to expand the program to 1,200 households within the next year.
 
The Healthy Savings program and its expansion are made possible in part by grants from Affinity Federal Credit Union, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, BI Cares Foundation, The Connecticut Community Foundation, First County Bank Foundation, The PCLB Foundation, and The Goodnow Fund.
 
Healthy Savings is for the 40% of households in Western Connecticut that have difficulty paying for basic necessities. Of these households, 50% have indicated that they struggle to pay for weekly groceries―but they aren’t eligible for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) program. Many are essential workers who helped us get through the pandemic—such as grocery store clerks, child care workers, and elder care workers.
 
“When you’re older and you’re on a fixed income, well I’ve found Healthy Savings has really helped me a great deal,” said a New Milford Senior Center client who has been using the program for more than a year. “With this program I am able to get plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, and the coupons are wonderful.”
 
“We recognize that struggling workers don’t have the time to run around to different agencies to get the benefits they may qualify for,” said Kim Morgan, CEO of United Way of Western Connecticut. “That’s why we built Prosperi-Key. This is new way for our hardworking neighbors to get the help they need 24/7.” 
 
For more information about Healthy Savings contact healthy.savings@uwwesternct.org or visit www.uwwesternct.org/healthysavings. For more information about Prosperi-Key, go to prosperikey.org
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Submitted by Brookfield, CT

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