HFPCC: Access to Healthy Food

 

Access to Healthy Food Work Group

Join the conversation about how to get more healthy food to those with barriers to accessing traditional food banks and meals sites. The Access to Healthy Food Work Group is a group of food system partners focusing on solutions to overcome the challenges faced by many in our community due to food deserts, lack of transportation, mobility issues, language barriers, etc. Together, through discussions and collaborations, the group is dedicated to increasing access to healthy food through two main projects: Food Hubs and Food Bank Delivery.

Projects

Food Hubs

Help to get food closer to those in need through the development of food hubs, locations (such as churches, schools, community organizations, or apartment complexes) where food may be dropped off by food system partners for clients to pick up closer to home. Access to Healthy Food Micro-Grants and an online food ordering system are additional features to support the Food Hub project, and are available for partners who are interested in participating in this project.

Food Bank Delivery

Working with existing food banks to add or expand delivery of food to those families and individuals with barriers to accessing food through regular food bank operations or through food hub locations. Similar to the Food Hub project, the Access to Healthy Food Micro-Grants and Online Ordering support are available for partners who are interested in starting or expanding food delivery programs.

Online Ordering

Online ordering allows clients to choose food items available at the food bank based on preferences much like the client-choice pantry model.  Client-choice has been shown to decrease food waste.

Micro-Grants

Access to Healthy Food Micro-grants are available for ONLY the purchase of equipment (cabinets, freezers and refrigerators to store food items) to support the development of food hubs and food bank delivery programs. Allowable items include: coolers or refrigerated units to store food at temperature for delivery, refrigerators or freezers to hold perishables at food hubs, cabinets to hold nonperishables, etc. Micro-grant investments are designed to get food closer to where people live (such as churches, schools, community organizations, or apartment complexes) to increase the access to healthy food. CLICK HERE to learn more about the grant opportunity.

Contact Information

Micro-grant requests are limited to active members of the Access to Healthy Food Work Group, which meets quarterly. If you are interested in joining our HFPCC Access to Healthy Food Work Group or have questions regarding the programs, please email hfpcc@uwpc.org for more information!