Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** puerto rico has the highest poverty…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** puerto rico has the highest poverty rate of any US jurisdiction at 42%: three times higher than the US average of 12.6%[1]. The island imports 85% of the food consumed, using a strictly federally regulated maritime transportation system, resulting in significantly higher food prices than the US mainland. This triangle of food insecurity results in food insecurity levels that triple the US average, and even higher in remote rural areas.puerto rico's version of the snap program, NAP (or pan in spanish), is a block-grant. Unlike snap, which allocates state funds according to population needs, puerto rico's NAP program is allocated a set block amount regardless of need. This prevents NAP from effectively responding to the nutrition assistance needs of the island's population. Since its introduction in the 1980S, block granting has reduced participation rates and average per-household monthly allocation by a staggering 50%. On average, a 1-person NAP household receives $189/MO, while an equal household would receive $291/MO. With snap. These elements have resulted in food insecurity levels that are twice as high as the next highest US state (31% VS. Mississippi at 17%), and three times the US national average of 10% (feeding america, map the meal GAP, 2023.the new, proposed 2024 baprs gusnip flsp (large scale) program seeks to expand its current pilot program to communities across puerto rico. The program will have a 2-prong redemption approach for reaching participants:in-person: bapr will work with partner organizations in 9 communities across the island that are geographically distributed and were chosen due to the: higher levels food insecurity and pan participation, geographical location (urban and rural areas), and compliance and good-standing with the bapr. These agencies will serve as redemption hubs for nearby communities to ensure the program is made available to the most participants. They will collect purchase receipts, deliver product incentives to participants, and register data using our feeding america neighbor intake platform insights. This will ensure access to participants that do not have easy access to online sources.online: for participants with limited or no transportation, we have partnered with CPE to provide an online ordering platform, where participants can place their order, receive incentive boxes, and have everything home-delivered free of charge. Payment will be done in person through pan EBT terminals (CPE is a pan-approved vendor).the project includes nutrition education that will be included in all incentive boxes and will rotate monthly. We have also incorporated home agriculture education through our caja verde program. These series of seminars will educate participants on home agriculture to drive food self-sufficiency and help achieve long-term sustainability. Our fresh products mobile pantry program, targeted to launch 2025-26, will also provide continuity and sustainability to the purchasing behavior, changes we will achieve through the 4-year grant period. Our main goal is to ensure NAP participants in puerto rico purchase and consume more fresh fruits and vegetables. During theprogram period we plan to distribute provide incentives to 1,000 NAP participants monthly in communities throughout puerto rico, including vieques, ensuring a minimum of $1MM in purchases of fruits and vegetables with NAP dollars. This will be achieved with monthly community impacts throughout the communities and online and telephone purchases through our online portal.