Fair Food Network

For more than a decade, our Double Up Food Bucks program has helped families in Flint, Michigan access more fresh fruits and vegetables. In fact, Double Up has been so popular in Flint that the city has become a centerpiece for program innovations. But despite this historic impact, Double Up usage in Flint — unlike in every other community where the program is available in Michigan — has declined in recent years. We recently launched a new community engagement strategy in Flint that increased Double Up usage by 49% in 2023. Read our latest impact report for more about our efforts to help Flint families, farmers, and food businesses thrive by increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables. https://lnkd.in/gh6nX44u

Healthy food access is taking root across the country with the help of the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (#GusNIP). Since 2019, GusNIP has grown remarkably and now reaches more diverse communities nationwide. In 2019, GusNIP had 773 active nutrition incentive and produce prescription sites – in Year 2, that number more than doubled to 1,959. Read more about the impact of GusNIP in its year 4 findings here: https://lnkd.in/gbA2tfmq Fair Food Network is proud to support the Nutrition Incentive Hub, led by the Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition).

Fair Food Network is looking for experienced professionals to join our growing finance and impact investing teams. If you are passionate about growing community health, wealth, and resiliency through food, while advancing your career, please consider applying to one of our open positions: Senior Grant Accountant Investment Manager (Two positions) Portfolio Manager These positions offer a fulfilling work environment at a supportive and entrepreneurially-driven organization. Please see our website for full job descriptions and application details: https://lnkd.in/eR38N6T

What difference can local fruits and vegetables make? Since 2009, our work furthering nutrition incentive programs in our home state of Michigan has shown the positive ripple effect we can make when we improve access to healthy food. Today, we share what we learn with our partners to create similar positive change in communities nationwide. With the help of programs like Double Up Food Bucks here in Michigan, families with low household incomes can bring home the fresh fruits and vegetables they need and want. In turn, local farmers and food retailers have more economic opportunities, and more dollars keep circulating in our communities. See the win-win-win benefits of nutrition incentive programs in our latest impact report. https://lnkd.in/gh6nX44u

In our home state, our partners at Michigan Farmers Market Association host a special series of farmers markets at the Michigan Capitol Building. Each event offers a thriving marketplace that showcases Michigan-grown or made food products for our state decision-makers and elevates the importance of supporting farmers, ag-based businesses, and farmers markets. If you're in Michigan, we hope to see you at this year's events on July 23 (tomorrow!), August 27, and September 24! Plan your visit and learn more: https://lnkd.in/dEqqtara

Finding common ground is more critical than ever. At Fair Food Network, we believe food can be a unifying force for positive change. How do we build a better future through food? In our latest impact report, we outline how our programs, partnerships, and investments work together to create local food systems that benefit us all. Explore our impact: https://lnkd.in/g787WCyr

This just in: the #GusNIP Year 4 Impact Findings Report is live! See the demonstrated impact of nutrition incentive and produce prescription projects nationwide. Did you know? Participants in both these programs eat more fruits and vegetables than the average adult. We're proud to support the GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information (NTAE) Center, led by the Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition). Dig into the report to see how GusNIP is enhancing food security and community well-being across the country: https://lnkd.in/gAe9W3mm.

Last month, our staff convened for a three-day retreat in our home city of Detroit. As a national nonprofit, our team members from across the country stopped in to meet with some of our incredible partners here in Michigan: Growing Hope – a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening and supporting the local food system in Ypsilanti, Michigan through its demonstration urban farm, farmers market, and home gardening and food entrepreneurship programming. Peaches & Greens – community-based produce market and mobile truck serving Detroiters. Detroit People's Food Co-op – a Black-led and community-owned grocery cooperative improving access to healthy food and food education to Detroit residents. Make Food Not Waste – a nonprofit organization working to keep food out of landfills and slow climate change by creating lasting solutions to food waste through education, food upcycling, and advocacy. Unity Vibration Kombucha – a Michigan-based kombucha business and the nation’s first hard kombucha brewer.

While the concept of “food as medicine” is gaining momentum, 90% of Americans still fail to eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. For people struggling with food insecurity – fresh produce is often out of reach. #GusNIP produce prescription and nutrition incentive incentive programs, like Double Up Food Bucks, have been proven to help families using SNAP eat more fruits and vegetables than the average American. However, there is unmet need for these programs across the country. Read more about how lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are advocating for more support for GusNIP fruit and vegetable incentive programs in the next Farm Bill: https://lnkd.in/gh49azFX #FarmBill #GusNIP #FruitVegIncentives #ProduceRx

"It's a win for families to be able to take home more fruits and vegetables. It's a win for the local economy, because we're putting the dollars right back here into our communities.” During #DoubleUpAwarenessWeek, our associate director of Double Up Food Bucks Michigan, Cassidy Strome, joined FOX 17 : WXMI TV at Fulton Street Market in Grand Rapids to discuss how Double Up can help shoppers using EBT bring home Michigan-grown fruits and veggies. Learn how the program works at local farmers markets: https://lnkd.in/gQteWdZ6