New Store Brings Food and Hope
Velma Wilson has always loved a good challenge and has devoted the past seven years of her professional career to creating opportunity for Quitman County and its residents.
Velma Wilson has always loved a good challenge and has devoted the past seven years of her professional career to creating opportunity for Quitman County and its residents.
While grocers struggle amid consolidations, a coalition supports innovative ways to deliver fresh food to underserved rural areas.
“The context for why there are food access gaps is really different between rural Alaska and the west side of Chicago, but HFFI is a very flexible tool.” says program director Molly Hartman.
A program designed to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to Austin through weekend popup shops recently received a federal grant that could help it become a more permanent presence in the community. The Austin Grocery Initiative, which is a collaboration between Forty Acres Fresh Market and the Westside Health Authority, received $185,000 in financial assistance from Healthy Food Financing Initiative, a new grants program through the United States Department of Agriculture. The Austin Grocery Initiative was one of 23 grantees awarded financial and technical assistance grants.
Forty million Americans still live without easy access to fresh and healthy food options. But not if the Healthy Food Financing Initiative(HFFI), which provides financial assistance and technical assistance to food access projects, has anything to say about it. Set into motion by the Agricultural Act of 2014, the HFFI is a public-private partnership headed by Reinvestment Fund on behalf of USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).
The Erie Downtown Development Corporation (EDDC) is among 13 organizations receiving a grant from an United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program to help develop its Culinary Arts District in downtown Erie. A total of $400,000 in technical assistance awards was provided to the recipients from the Healthy Food Financing Initiative’s (HFFI) inaugural grants program.
The US Department for Agriculture (USDA) has awarded an US$80,000 (£65,560) grant to a Cincinnati co-operative grocer. Apple Street Market is planning a a full-service, community and worker-owned grocery store on Apple Street in the city’s Northside neighbourhood, offering food access for the underserved neighbourhoods of Northside, South Cumminsville, Camp Washington, and College Hill.
Reinvestment Fund today announced $1.8 million in financial and technical assistance awards to 23 projects through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) inaugural grants program. Funding for the HFFI grants program is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Ten projects received a total of $1.4 million in financial assistance and another 13 projects received a total of $400,000 in technical assistance awards.
Reinvestment Fund is seeking professional services providers to support the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). Individuals or organizations who can provide technical assistance and industry-specific consulting services to HFFI grantees are needed.
Reinvestment Fund is inviting applications for financial and technical assistance through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative’s (HFFI) inaugural grants program. Funding for the HFFI grants program is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. As the National Fund Manager, Reinvestment Fund will offer financial resources and expertise to eligible healthy food retail projects to expand access to healthy foods in underserved areas, to create and preserve quality jobs, and to revitalize low-income communities.