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Innovative Food Model

As part of the Healthy Food Access initiative, the organizations below were chosen to implement innovative, creative, alternative, or strategic models that will expand healthy food access for low-income city residents.   

 Given the various barriers to healthy food that currently exists, solutions need to be multipronged. The proposals submitted for the RFP Request in Agust 2023, build on local assets such as the Rochester Public Market, local farmers and food-based entrepreneurs, existing local business support, innovative non-profits, and other resources.  

 

 

 Organization   

 

 

 

 

 Project Summary   

 

 

 

 

  Intended Outcomes  

 

 

 

 

 Cornell Cooperative Extension -  Monroe County      

 

 Requested amount:   

 

 $126,577.00  

 

 

 

 

 Expanding a workforce development and food security program entitled “GROWS in the City,” CCE Monroe will create an urban farm on Remington Street with approximately 1,980 sq. ft. of growing space. The urban farm will serve as an expansion site for CCE Monroe’s transitional jobs program, Gaining Relevant and Outstanding Work Skills (GROWS), for unemployed young adults in the city. The program will also include monthly nutrition/cooking classes facilitated by CCE’s Monroe Snap-Ed Nutrition Educators.  

 

 

 

 

  •  Improved employment outcomes for participants.  
  •  Fresh produce is provided to neighborhood residents through The People’s Pantry.  
  •  Improved nutrition and cooking skills for clients of Lincoln Branch Library and People’s Pantry.  

 

 

 

 

 Taproot Collective   

 

 Requested amount:   

 

 $373,989.69  

 

 

 

 

 This project will create a new full-time position dedicated to providing capacity-building material, technical, and logistical support to community gardens and urban farms in low-income and food-insecure Rochester neighborhoods. The main vehicle for these services is Taproot’s free membership program for urban growers, known as the Collective. In collaboration with their Community Food Team youth workforce development program, the program will result in direct investment in at least 40 community gardens and urban farms, supporting as many as 1,800 low-income households.  

 

 

 

 

  •  A portfolio of services and improvements delivered to urban gardens and farms, such as landscape design services and raised beds.   
  •  Improved data collection and measurement on the impacts of community gardens on residents.   
  •  Increased capacity to carry on this work beyond the grant period.  

 

 

 

 

 St. Peter’s Kitchen   

 

 Requested amount:   

 

 $390,000.00  

 

 

 

 

 This project is multifaceted and builds on the core competencies of St. Peter’s Kitchen and existing partnerships with Foodlink, Wegmans, Tops and Bimbo Bakery. It will increase access and effectiveness of current services and aims to increase the reach of the hot meal program by adding a Saturday lunch option and continuing to provide low-cost meals to Project Haven.  

 

 

 

 

  •  Delivery of meals to seniors and individuals with disabilities.  
  •  Additional meals served through expanded weekday hours and new Saturday hours.           

 

 

 

 

 Foodlink   

 

 Requested amount:   

 

 $573,804.00  

 

 

 

 

 Foodlink’s Curbside Market is the largest alternative food retailer in Rochester. This project requests funding to expand the number of locations the Curbside Market can visit. It would also enable online ordering, including for SNAP and WIC customers. Foodlink would also use project funding to update a pre-pandemic study it conducted on the feasibility of a social purpose grocery store with 2025 data.  

 

 

 

 

  •  Minimum of 5,000 additional Curbside Market transactions through expanded service.  
  •  Online ordering, including acceptance of SNAP, WIC, and Double Up Food Bucks.  

 

 

 

 

 Field & Fork Network   

 

 Requested amount:   

 

 $879,243.42  

 

 

 

 

 This project seeks to expand Double Up Food Bucks NY (DUFBNY), a SNAP-match nutrition incentive program operating across Upstate NY and Long Island, by providing a dollar-for-dollar match on SNAP benefits used to purchase frozen fruits and vegetables. This includes Abundance Co-op and three Tops Markets locations.   

 

 

 

 

  •  Estimated 10,500 SNAP households would receive Double Up match coupons.   
  •  Up to $5 match per day in year 1 and $10 per day in year 2 at Tops, Up to $20 match per day in both years at Abundance.  
  •  Projected $600,000 of Double Up Food Bucks redeemed over 70,000 transactions.  

 

 

 

 

 Trillium Health   

 

 Requested amount:   

 

 $999,631.00  

 

 

 

 

 This proposal requests funding for a food pharmacy pilot program with the creation of two new Trillium Health positions—a Nutrition Health Educator and a Supervisor of Food Services. The food pharmacy medical providers and other essential TH staff will refer food insecure community members to the TH Food Pantry. Supplemental education will be accessible for TH patients with diet-related chronic diseases.  

 

 

 

 

  •  Targeted 85% increase in fruit and vegetable intake for Nutritional Education program participants.  
  •  Targeted 15% decrease in A1c levels for program participants with diabetes and/pre-diabetes.  
  •  Targeted 10% decrease in blood pressure for program participants with hypertension.  

 

 

 

 

 Total   

 

 $3,343,245.11