Project Grant 20217003435368

BUILDING UPON THE PREVIOUS AND CURRENT GUSNIP WORK WHILE BEING ALIGNED WITH COMMUNITY DESIRES AND USDA FUNDING, JACKSON MEDICAL MALL FOUNDATION'S (JMMF) DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS MISSISSIPPI (DUFBM) PROGRAM WILL DEVELOP THIS PROJECT. THE OVERARCHING EMERGENCY PROJECT GOAL FOR THE GUSNIP COVID RELIEF AND RESPONSE (GUSCRR) FUNDING IS TO IMMEDIATELY IMPLEMENT A PROGRAM DESIGN TO INCREASE THE PURCHASE AND CONSUMPTION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES BY SNAP PARTICIPANTS BY ALLOCATING 76% OF DIRECT COSTS TO NUTRITION INCENTIVES AT POINT OF PURCHASE GIVING A $3.4 MILLION REVENUE BOOST TO MISSISSIPPI FARMERS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. JMMF IS A 501(C)3 ORGANIZATION THAT MANAGES THE JACKSON MEDICAL MALL (JMM) THAD COCHRAN CENTER. IN 1996, THE JMM WAS TRANSFORMED FROM A NEGLECTED SHOPPING MALL TO A MODERN MEDICAL AND RETAIL FACILITY ADDRESSING THE HEALTH NEEDS OF THE UNDERSERVED, WITH A FOCUS ON SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH. IT HOSTS 200,000 HEALTHCARE VISITS PER YEAR, WITH 5,000 VISITORS PER DAY.PRE-COVID, USDA'S ERS 2017-19 IDENTIFIED MISSISSIPPI AS HAVING A PREVALENCE OF FOOD INSECURITY. IN FACT, MISSISSIPPI WAS IDENTIFIED AS HAVING THE HIGHEST RATE OF FOOD INSECURITY WITH 15.7% OF ALL MISSISSIPPIANS BEING FOOD INSECURE. THE ONSET OF COVID ONLY MADE MATTERS WORSE FOR THE STATE. IN MARCH 2021, IN THE MIDST OF COVID, FEEDING AMERICA PROJECTED RATES OF FOOD INSECURITY AMONG THE OVERALL US POPULATION FOR 2021. AT THE STATE LEVEL, THE PROJECTED RATE OF FOOD INSECURITY AMONG THE OVERALL US POPULATION FOR 2021 IS THE LOWEST FOR NORTH DAKOTA (8.1%) AND HIGHEST FOR MISSISSIPPI (18.7%), MAKING IT PARAMOUNT FOR DUFBM TO RECEIVE THE MAX AMOUNT OF CRR FUNDING FOR LARGE SCALE GRANTEES. DURING THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES OF THE COVID ERA, AND EVEN PRE-COVID, MISSISSIPPI HAS BEEN CRITICALLY UNDERSERVED AND IS IMPOVERISHED. DUFBM HAS PROVEN ITSELF RESILIENT AND RESOLUTE, LAUNCHING WITH MINIMAL DELAYS DURING COVID, FINDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STRATEGIC GROWTH, AND BREAKING THROUGH TECHNOLOGICAL BARRIERS.THROUGH GUSCRR, DUBFM WILL EXPAND PREVIOUS EFFORTS BY WORKING WITH KEY PARTNERS IN HIGH FOOD INSECURITY AREAS TO INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OF FIRMS OFFERING THE NUTRITION INCENTIVE AND BUILDING AN ON-LINE PRESENCE FOR SNAP PARTICIPANTS WITH HOME DELIVERY OPTIONS. DUFBM HAS AGGRESSIVELY TACKLED OUR ORIGINAL GUSNIP GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, EVEN DURING COVID. WE HAVE DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED AN INNOVATIVE, RELEVANT, AND REPLICABLE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INCENTIVE REDEMPTION SYSTEM IN HARD-TO-REACH COMMUNITIES AT DIVERSE LOCATIONS INCLUDING 18 RETAIL GROCERY STORES, SEVEN FARMERS MARKETS, ONE MOBILE FARMERS MARKET, AND FOUR PRODUCE STANDS. IN YEAR ONE ALONE WE HAVE SERVED 19,488 INDIVIDUALS. WE SERVE AREAS DESIGNATED AS STRIKEFORCE COUNTIES (CURRENTLY 86% OF DUFBM LOCATIONS) AS WELL AS PERSISTENT POVERTY COUNTIES (CURRENTLY 62% OF DUFBM LOCATIONS). WE ACHIEVED A YEAR THREE GOAL (OPERATE IN 20 FIRMS) IN YEAR TWO (CURRENTLY OPERATING IN 29 FIRMS, COVERING ALL CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS IN MISSISSIPPI). BY THE END OF YEAR ONE, WE SOUGHT FOR THE MAJORITY OF DUFBM FIRMS TO BE OPEN FOR EXTENDED HOURS AND MOST DAYS OF THE YEAR (CURRENTLY 75% OF FIRMS ARE OPEN FOR EXTENDED SHOPPING). WE PERFORM ONGOING PROCESS EVALUATION TO DRIVE DECISIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS. WE ARE DEDICATED TO BRINGING TOGETHER A DIVERSE TEAM OF STAFF AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS. OUR SYSTEMS AND TEAM ARE SECURELY IN PLACE TO REACH OUR NEW GOALS AND OBJECTIVES IN A TIMELY AND AUTHENTIC MANNER, NOTABLY TO SERVE SNAP PARTICIPANTS AND COMMUNITIES RECOVERING FROM COVID.