Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** produce perks midwest and the…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** produce perks midwest and the ohio nutrition incentive network will complete a two-year nutrition incentive project aimed at developing equitable approaches to statewide expansion and impact of produce perks, ohio's snap-matching nutrition incentive program. Losses in snap benefits and a significant rise in food costs have affected ohio's 1.3 million snap recipients. In response, this project aims to deepen the impact within underserved communities, ensuring equitable access and participation. The project will generate $2.7M in fruit and vegetable purchases, engage 15 bipoc-owned food businesses, expand to 25 new sites, increase incentive transactions by 20% and redemption rates by 45%, and establish community engagement practices.goals include:1) develop community engagement practices to nurture lasting, authentic community relationships and increase beneficiary satisfaction;2) equitably deepen impact within underserved communities and underutilized sites;3) increase equity within program impact, with a specific focus on enhancing racial equity and improving access to programming for underserved communities; 4) increase cross-agency collaboration and resource sharing for statewide infrastructure development and eventual transition towards technology advancements.activities include establishment of a community advisory group, development of a steps-to-success tool to boost program utilization at lower performing sites, implementation of community-informed outreach strategies to increase awareness and repeat users, partnership building with bipoc-owned food businesses, and state agency partnership building and joint needs assessments. This project represents a concerted effort among ohio stakeholders to address food insecurity and build a more equitable food system for all ohioans.?