R.I. receives $437K from USDA

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island has received $437,000 through the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture’s Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant Program, funds that will help increase access to fruits and vegetables to those struggling to buy food.
The federal funds were announced by the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, which said the money also will benefit small- and mid-sized farmers in the region.
Through the funding, the Rhode Island Public Health Institute received $100,000 to extend the reach of its “Rhody Food on the Move” initiative, and Farm Fresh Rhode Island will receive $337,000 over a three-year period to double the amount of nutrition incentives distributed at farmers markets across the state.
The nonprofit Rhode Island Public Health Institute, housed at Brown University’s School of Public Health, will use its FINI grant to expand its ‘Rhody Food on the Move’ mobile markets and introduce financial incentives into their project.
“One of the big challenges with helping people to improve their diets is the lack of access to fresh produce in their neighborhoods,’’ Dr. Amy Nunn, executive director of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute, said in a statement. “And even when it is accessible geographically, the costs can be price prohibitive.”
Kenneth Payne, chairman of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, said that the grants provide a “double benefit for Rhode Island.
“The most food insecure residents in the state have increased purchasing power to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, and local and regional producers, processors and distributors directly benefit from the increased sales,” Payne said.
The funds for Farm Fresh will encourage spending of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as “food stamps”) on fresh fruit and vegetables.
Farm Fresh Rhode Island has offered nutrition incentives named “Bonus Bucks” to SNAP recipients at farmers markets since 2009. SNAP redemption at farmers markets has grown from $500 in 2007 to more than $80,000 in 2014.
The grant issued to Farm Fresh will enable further expansion of Bonus Bucks incentives for SNAP shoppers through partnership with independently managed markets across Rhode Island. Markets that offer Bonus Bucks will expand in number from 13 in 2014 to 25 in 2015.
“Bonus Bucks are a win-win for Rhode Island,” Sheri Griffin, co-executive director of Farm Fresh Rhode Island,” said “They ensure that federal food benefit dollars support our state’s agricultural economy, while enabling our neighbors affected by poverty and food insecurity to share in the local bounty.”

No posts to display