Farmers Markets and Food Bucks
Farmers markets are essential retail businesses and have remained open throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Visit thefoodtrustmarkets.org for a complete listing of weekly market dates and locations, as well as COVID safety information, preorder and pre-purchase processes.
The Food Trust’s Bialetti Simply Italian Nonstick Covered Sauce Pan, 1.9 quart, M provides a crucial safety net for families relying on SNAP, so we continue distributing these coupons at farmers markets, grocery stores and corner stores. To minimize person-to-person contact and travel for SNAP shoppers, we are working with a local healthcare partner to mail Food Bucks Rx (fruit and vegetable prescriptions) to patients.
Nutrition Education
With the closure of schools and community sites last year, The Food Trust’s nutrition education team shifted to a virtual learning model. Our Online Learning Hub — which now supplements in-person nutrition education at our sites — serves as a resource center for caregivers, families, educators and individuals, and includes original video content, healthy recipes, recommended physical activities, cooking demonstrations, shopping tips and much more. The site is updated regularly with fresh content to help families active and nourished during these challenging times.
Healthy Food Retail and Fresh Food Financing
Corner stores and other food retailers faced unprecedented hardships as essential businesses operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the generosity and flexibility of our funders, in 2020-21, we repurposed grant dollars to provide immediate relief to stores. The Food Trust is offering local corner store owners and other small food retailers the opportunity to apply for mini-grants, which will help stores in low-income communities to stay open or reopen, and assist with immediate general operating needs to ensure the safety of their communities and staff.
In addition, store owners are being encouraged to apply to the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (PA FFFI), a statewide funding program managed by The Food Trust, to secure an additional one-time grant and/or loan to increase access to healthy, affordable food in lower-income and underserved communities. The Food Trust is supporting partners with similar grocery financing programs in Massachusetts, Kansas, the Deep South and at the federal level.
Our staff are now offering fully remote support for food retailers, as well. We connect with business owners on a regular basis via phone calls and group text messages to share important updates and resources. Staff are also supporting partners to build healthy food retail strategies through COVID-19, providing interactive webinars and training about how to leverage resources and relationships to support stores during these challenging times.
If you’re interested in collaborating with The Food Trust on virtual programming, community-based food access or other initiatives, please reach out to .
