USDA and Reinvestment Fund Invest Nearly $6 Million to Increase Equitable Access to Healthy Foods Across Country

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2024 – U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced this day that USDA is partnering with Reinvestment Fund to speculate nearly $6 million to give a enhance to earn admission to to healthy foods in underserved communities across the country.  

The investments are being made by the Wholesome Meals Financing Initiative (HFFI) Planning Grant Program, which gives grants to organizations for healthy food retail or food retail provide chain initiatives in early-stage planning and predevelopment phases. 

 “No matter where you are living in our country, strive in exclaim to earn more inexpensive, original, and healthy food shut to home,” Deputy Secretary Torres Small said. “During the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is working with farmers and ranchers, food retailers, and diversified stakeholders to enhance the local and regional food programs all of us count on. Reinvestment Fund has been a key accomplice to USDA in these efforts and this day’s investments will earn definite more communities earn the nutritious food all of us deserve.” 

This announcement is phase of USDA’s entire web whisper of efforts, bolstered by funding made available by the American Rescue Realizing Act, to blueprint more and better markets that aid both producers and American patrons.  

HFFI is designed to enhance fresh and expanded markets for a diversity of growers whereas serving to americans across the nation earn admission to more inexpensive, healthy foods.  

This day’s announcement entails investments that would possibly enhance planning activities for Forty five initiatives to assemble or develop food retail and food retail provide chain trade gadgets. 

Shall we voice: 

• In Arizona, the Orchard Neighborhood Studying Center will use a nearly $124,000 funding to delivery out planning and pre-constructing activities to launch a neighborhood food retailer that serves communities in south Phoenix with restricted earn admission to to healthy foods. The food retailer shall be SNAP-eligible, with original manufacture sourced from local farmers. This would possibly perhaps additionally have a two-acre on-enlighten farm.  

• In Georgia, Patchwork Metropolis Farms will use a $150,000 funding to develop its most modern farming operation true into a 5,000 sq.-foot health and wellness hub in Atlanta, a first of its variety for the metropolis. This would possibly perhaps embrace a commercial kitchen, food retail location, a put up-harvest processing and storage facility, and a gathering location for healthy food programming.  

• In Michigan, the North Flint Reinvestment Corp. will use a $150,000 funding to assemble the North Flint Meals Market, a grassroots, resident-pushed initiative. The market shall be a original food retail retailer that would possibly provide earn admission to to healthy food, blueprint factual jobs and revitalize the underserved residence of North Flint.  

• In Pennsylvania, the Keystone Fashion Center will use a $150,000 funding to develop membership and community engagement for Aliquippa Meals Co-op, a community-owned grocery retailer. The funding will wait on the guts proceed to manufacture the co-op with education and organizing enhance, which it has provided for the last two years. 

Initiatives announced this day will elevate earn admission to to healthy food for americans living in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Fresh Jersey, Fresh York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. 

Background 

Many low-income communities lack satisfactory, more inexpensive earn admission to to healthy food. HFFI gives grants and loans to entities that offer healthy foods in communities which would possibly perhaps be underserved by grocery stores and diversified food retailers. This system increases earn admission to to healthy foods, gives fresh market alternatives for farmers and ranchers, stabilizes puny and autonomous retailers, and creates factual-paying jobs and financial change in low-income communities. 

Through HFFI, USDA partners with Reinvestment Fund to lift healthy food alternate choices to underserved rural, metropolis and Tribal communities. Reinvestment Fund serves because the National Fund Supervisor for USDA. It raises capital; gives financial and technical aid to regional, enlighten and native partnerships; and helps fund initiatives to give a enhance to earn admission to to original, healthy foods in underserved areas. 

In August 2023, Reinvestment Fund expanded The US’s Wholesome Meals Financing Initiative to embrace the fresh HFFI Local and Regional Wholesome Meals Financing Partnerships Program.   

In June 2024, the Reinvestment Fund expanded the Wholesome Meals Financing Initiative to embrace the Meals Rating entry to and Retail Growth (FARE) Fund. 

USDA Rural Fashion gives loans and grants to wait on develop financial alternatives, blueprint jobs and gives a enhance to the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This aid helps infrastructure enhancements; trade constructing; housing; community companies equivalent to faculties, public safety and health care; and excessive-escape internet earn admission to in rural, tribal and excessive-poverty areas. Consult with the Rural Knowledge Gateway to learn the plot in which and where these investments are impacting rural The US. To subscribe to USDA Rural Fashion updates, search the advice of with the GovDelivery Subscriber Online page. 

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many drag ways. Below the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is remodeling The US’s food system with a greater form out more resilient local and regional food manufacturing, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring earn admission to to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, constructing fresh markets and streams of income for farmers and producers the usage of local weather-orderly food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and orderly energy capabilities in rural The US, and committing to equity across the Division by casting off systemic boundaries and constructing a personnel more consultant of The US. To learn more, search the advice of with www.usda.gov.  

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