USDA announces $16.8 million in SNAP grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program, awarded $16.8 million in June for grants to encourage participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program to buy more fruits and vegetables.

"USDA is committed to providing low income families with the resources they need to consume more nutritious food,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “Last year, SNAP kept at least 4.7 million Americans— including 2.1 million children — out of poverty. Programs like FINI build on the success we've seen with the use of healthy incentives and with many of the projects being run at farmers markets, we're also helping to strengthen local and regional food systems."

One-year pilot projects were awarded up to $100,000 to the following organizations: Community Food Bank, Tucson, Arizona; Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, Little Rock, Arkansas; Chicago Horticultural Society, Chicago; The Gleaners Food Bank of Indianapolis, Indiana; Mountain Comprehensive Health Corp., Whitesburg, Kentucky; Michigan Physical Fitness, Health and Sports Foundation, Lansing, Mich.; The Fortune Society, Long Island, New York; Mid-Ohio Foodbank, Grove City, Ohio; South Central Community Action Programs Inc., Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Vermont Department of Health, Burlington; city of Madison, Madison, Wisconsin; and Hunger Task Force Inc., Milwaukee.

Community-based projects grants were awarded up to $500,000 for projects that would not exceed four years to the following organizations: Pinnacle Prevention Corp., Gilbert, Arizona; Youth Policy Institute, Los Angeles;  Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative, Oakland, Calif.; San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, San Francisco; LiveWell Colorado, Denver; Wholesome Wave, Bridgeport, Conn.; Experimental Station, Chicago; Community Food & Agriculture Coalition Inc., Missoula, Montana; Harvest Home Farmer's Market, New York; Field & Fork Network Inc., Williamsville, New York; and Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa,Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Multiyear, large-scale projects were awarded to the University of California-San Diego; Mid-America Regional Council Community Services Corp., Kansas City, Missouri; New Mexico Farmers' Marketing Association, Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Fund for Public Health in New York.