This project will help virginia fresh match (VFM) increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables (FV) by snap participants and enhance the resilience of our local food systems

This $2,005,502 Project Grant from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) will support Virginia Fresh Match (VFM) in expanding access to fruits and vegetables for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. VFM will double the number of outlets offering SNAP incentives to over 160, with 90% providing locally grown produce and 50% exclusively incentivizing fruit and vegetable purchases. Funding will be used to employ direct-to-consumer marketing strategies to attract new SNAP customers and pilot community ambassador programs. VFM will also integrate incentives into COVID-19 response efforts and food system resilience planning. As the largest GusNIP sub-awardee network in Virginia, VFM and its 10 regional food access partners have significant experience successfully implementing nutrition incentive programs. This award will help VFM continue responding to increased state food security needs and further the goals of GusNIP's COVID Relief and Response funding to address critical community needs and enhance food system resilience.

In particular, the project will (1) double the number and type of outlets offering VFM snap incentives; (2) reach additional snap and p-EBT participants to engage them with VFM incentives and outlets; (3) improve the operations and user experience of VFM through innovative incentive technologies; and (4) further integrate VFM incentives into covid-19 response efforts and food system resiliency planning. Our current project represents a network of 85 outlets (81 in opportunity zones) and 10 regional food access organizations, all with significant track records in implementing successful nutrition incentive programs. The expanded project will grow our network to over 160 outlets, 90% of which provide local FV and 50% of which will offer incentives only on snap f & v purchases. Guscrr funds will be used to employdirect-to-consumer sales marketing (social media, digital, print) in close partnership with community social service and food security partners and pilot innovative strategies (community ambassador model) to attract new snap customers to VFM outlets, many of which are open daily, have extended hours, and offer curbside and delivery services.VFM will continue to respond to virginia's increased food security needs with covid-19 relief, as has been demonstrated by our unprecedented growth over the past year (176% increase in incentives in 2020). Employing a food system approach to our collaborative work, VFM works closely with virginia cooperative extension snap-ED (supplemental nutrition education), virginia farmers market association (technical assistance), virginia food system council (food resiliency planning and capacity building), and federation of virginia food banks