Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience: During the first year of the Palm Beach Community Food Project, the program primarily served economically disadvantaged youth, families, and seniors across several underserved areas of Palm Beach County. The populations targeted in this period included a diverse mix of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black, Latinx, and Guatemalan Maya communities, many of whom face significant socio-economic challenges. A portion of the youth served were from the Guatemalan Maya community, a group largely composed of immigrants and refugees in the large migrant farmworker community who experience significant barriers such as language difficulties and economic hardships. These barriers often impede their access to education and food security programs. FLIPANY's outreach in this community focused on providing youth education through afterschool programs designed to meet the unique needs of this population. In addition to the Guatemalan Maya community, the project also served a significant number of youth and families from Black and Latinx backgrounds, particularly at sites such as Lutheran Services and Black Family Community High School. These communities are often situated in low-income neighborhoods with high rates of poverty and food insecurity. The program's efforts at these sites included youth education, food distribution, family engagement, and staff workshops, all aimed at addressing the systemic barriers these communities face in accessing food, education, and health resources. The senior population, particularly those served at the City of Green Acres Community Center, also formed a crucial part of the target audience. These seniors, many of whom are low-income, face significant challenges in accessing nutritious food and health resources. The program provided educational events focused on nutrition and healthy living, specifically tailored to meet the needs of this vulnerable group. Throughout the reporting period, FLIPANY engaged youth and adults through various surveys, including Pretest, Posttest, and Satisfaction Surveys. The largest racial group among youth participants identified as Black or African American, followed closely by those who identified as White. A significant portion of the youth also identified as Hispanic or Latino. Gender data from the youth surveys indicated a low response rate, with a majority preferring not to answer or not answering at all. Among the adult participants, the majority identified as Black or African American, followed by White, with a substantial percentage identifying as Hispanic or Latino. Most of the adults surveyed were female, though a significant portion also preferred not to disclose their gender. ?The program's outreach and educational efforts were concentrated on reaching populations facing systemic barriers to food access, education, and health resources. By focusing on these underserved groups, the Palm Beach Community Food Project ensured that its efforts directly impacted those most in need, fostering greater food security, improved nutrition, and enhanced community resilience Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The Palm Beach Community Food Project has provided a range of training and professional development opportunities, each tailored to meet the specific needs of the program and the communities it serves.One of the major initiatives is the planning and implementation of the AmeriCorps Healthy Futures Program which will begin 8/2024. This program is designed to support the goals of the Community Food Project by offering targeted training for AmeriCorps Service members. These members receive hands-on experience in areas such as meal distribution, nutrition education, and community outreach. The program not only enhances the service members' skills and knowledge in health-related fields but also provides them with valuable professional development opportunities that can advance their careers. FLIPANY has also made significant efforts to strengthen its volunteer and internship programs. By creating structured training opportunities, FLIPANY ensures that volunteers and interns are well-prepared to contribute effectively to the project. These programs are designed to engage community members, particularly youth and young adults, in meaningful work that supports the project's goals while also providing them with practical experience and skills that are valuable in the workforce. Separately, FLIPANY has collaborated with local businesses, such as caterers servicing Federal Meals programs, to provide specialized training for their staff. This training focuses on the specific requirements of meal service operations under federal guidelines, ensuring that these businesses can deliver high-quality, nutritious meals to the community. By helping local businesses develop their workforce, FLIPANY is also contributing to economic development and job creation within the community. Additionally, FLIPANY has provided comprehensive training for new Federal Meals Program sites. These sessions are critical in enabling new sites to effectively operate within the program's framework. Training includes compliance with federal regulations, ensuring that these sites are fully equipped to serve their communities effectively. Moreover, FLIPANY staff have benefited from attending the yearly National USDA Community Food Project Grantee Meeting. This event offers an opportunity for professional growth, as staff members gain insights into best practices, emerging trends in community food systems, and network with other professionals in the field. The knowledge gained from these meetings is instrumental in enhancing the effectiveness of FLIPANY's programs and in continuing to build the organization's capacity to serve its mission. ?Overall, the Palm Beach Community Food Project has implemented a comprehensive approach to training and professional development, supporting not only the immediate needs of the project but also fostering long-term growth and capacity building for all involved. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The Palm Beach Community Food Project has made significant efforts to disseminate results and engage communities through a variety of educational and outreach activities. These efforts have been crucial in enhancing public understanding of the project's goals and increasing community interest in nutrition and food security. Throughout the reporting period, FLIPANY conducted numerous education and community outreach events across the targeted communities. These events were designed to raise awareness about food insecurity, promote healthy eating habits, and educate participants on the importance of nutrition. The events included workshops, healthy food demonstrations, and interactive sessions where community members could learn about nutrition and food preparation in a hands-on environment. These outreach activities were tailored to meet the specific needs and interests of the diverse populations served by the project, ensuring that the information was accessible and relevant. To further extend the impact of these educational efforts, FLIPANY developed and distributed a range of educational take-home materials. These materials included multilingual resources on nutrition, food safety, and healthy cooking tips, designed to reinforce the lessons learned during the outreach events. The take-home materials were carefully crafted to be engaging and easy to understand, with the goal of encouraging families to continue practicing healthy habits at home. These resources were distributed widely at community events, through partner organizations, and at the sites where federal meal programs were implemented. The results of the project's educational activities were disseminated through these community-focused efforts, ensuring that even those who might not typically be aware of such programs had the opportunity to learn and engage. FLIPANY's outreach strategy included targeted efforts to reach underserved populations, including racial and ethnic minorities, economically disadvantaged families, and other vulnerable groups. By making education and resources widely available and culturally relevant, FLIPANY has successfully increased community engagement and interest in nutrition and food security, contributing to a broader public understanding of these critical issues. These dissemination efforts have been instrumental in building a stronger, more informed community, capable of making healthier choices and advocating for better food security solutions. The combination of direct education, accessible resources, and targeted outreach has allowed FLIPANY to effectively share the results of the Palm Beach Community Food Project with the communities that need it most. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In Year Two of the Palm Beach Community Food Project, FLIPANY will build on the successes of the first year by expanding its reach and deepening its impact on the underserved communities of Palm Beach County. The project primarily aims to benefit children in low-income areas by ensuring they receive nutritious meals year-round through increased participation in federal nutrition programs such as the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CCFP) and Summer BreakSpot meals. Additionally, FLIPANY will continue to support local residents by enhancing their job skills in the food industry, encouraging entrepreneurship, and increasing access to food resources, directly impacting the health and economic resilience of these communities. A key initiative for Year Two is the sustainability and replication of an initiative, started in July 2024, through partnership with Hello Fresh to insure access to food over the summer months for students and families in this targeted low-income community. The Pantry, donated by Hello Fresh, at Pioneer Park Elementary was provided and initially stocked through this partnership. Leveraging the partnership with the Palm Beach County Food Bank (PBCFB), this site will now become a permanent resource for food distributions in the community. By solidifying this linkage, FLIPANY aims to provide consistent, nutritious food to students and families throughout the year, addressing ongoing food insecurity issues in the community. It is FLIPANY's plan to replicate this model at additional sites as part of the PBCFP providing additional food resources at sites already providing federal meals program access to further increase food security and long term community resiliency. FLIPANY will also continue to expand its partnership with the PBCFB, focusing on increasing the frequency and reach of food distributions. This includes adding new distribution sites and enhancing connections between sites receiving federal meal sponsorship and other private food sources. By doing so, FLIPANY will create a more integrated local food system, providing greater resources and support to build long-term community resilience. Outreach and site enrollment efforts will be intensified to increase access to federal meal programs, ensuring that more children and families benefit from these resources. FLIPANY will actively seek out additional sites to participate in these programs, expanding the reach of federal meal services and improving nutritional outcomes for low-income communities across Palm Beach County. In addition to expanding meal programs, FLIPANY will focus on developing and enhancing its internship and AmeriCorps programs. These initiatives will provide training and service opportunities for community members, empowering them to take active roles in meal distribution, nutrition education, and other program activities. By offering these programs, FLIPANY will help individuals gain valuable skills and experience, increasing their opportunities for professional growth and employment. To further ensure the effectiveness of its programs, FLIPANY plans to continue administering Nutrition, Satisfaction, and Demographic Surveys to youth and adults in Year Two. A new fidelity instrument will also be introduced, which staff will complete after each lesson to ensure that lessons are delivered as intended and that all crucial components of the program are present. This instrument will include questions such as, "Did the site provide enough support and resources?", "Did participants understand the lesson?", "Did all students participate?", and "Were there take-home resources or educational materials provided for family?". These measures will help FLIPANY maintain high standards of program delivery and ensure that the needs of participants are being met effectively. In addition to program delivery, FLIPANY will increase engagement with the program advisory council and encourage greater participation in local hunger work groups. By involving more community members in these discussions, FLIPANY will gain valuable insights and foster a sense of ownership and collaboration among stakeholders. This increased participation will help guide the project's direction and ensure that it continues to meet the evolving needs of the communities it serves. During the previous reporting period, FLIPANY successfully completed several key activities aimed at enhancing the nutrition knowledge and skills of both youth and adults. These included mentored classes at CCFP and Summer BreakSpot sites, training CCFP site staff to effectively use Nutrition Education materials, and engaging staff to deliver nutrition education and physical activities as part of the Mobile Meals program. Surveys conducted using Microsoft Forms, including pretest and posttest nutrition surveys, as well as demographic and satisfaction surveys, provided valuable feedback that will inform the ongoing refinement and expansion of program offerings in Year Two. Through these strategic activities, FLIPANY is committed to creating a more resilient and food-secure future for Palm Beach County, ensuring that the most vulnerable populations receive the support and resources they need to thrive.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The Palm Beach Community Food Project addresses food insecurity and hunger in Palm Beach County, Florida, particularly in low-income areas such as The Glades and certain neighborhoods west of I-95. Despite the wealth and agricultural productivity of Palm Beach County, over 50,000 children do not receive adequate nutrition. The project aims to mitigate this issue by developing connections between various sectors of the food system, supporting local entrepreneurship in agriculture, and improving access to nutritious foods through federal nutrition programs, ultimately contributing to long-term community self-reliance and health. The program aims to serve children, family members, and members of the general community in the targeted under-resourced, predominantly low-income communities. Goal 1: Provide children of low-income families with direct access to nutritious food through the federally funded nutrition program-Afterschool Programs in the low-income communities targeted in this project do not participate in federal nutrition programs because they do not have the capacity to manage the application process, meet the qualifications, and manage the ongoing program. The process of capacity-building is intensive and time-consuming. During this first year of CFP activities FLIPANY Healthy Meals Staff conducted outreach activities to identify program sites and encourage their participation in the food program through a FLIPANY Food Sponsorship. One of the most significant accomplishments of this program is the provision of 75,325 Summer meals to over 1400 youth at 37 sites this past program year with 10 of those sites being located in "The Glades" and other areas of concentrated need in PBC and 7 of those sites providing healthy meals year-round. The meals provided were a lifeline for the community, ensuring that children had access to nutritious food even when school was out of session. Goal 2: Implement effective education activities at all project sites using Federal nutrition resources in addition to other sites in the community-During this initial program year, 216 Youth took part in over 72 hours (classes) of evidence-based nutrition education programing in PBC. FLIPANY also engaged 398 family members of youth participants through a mix of family engagement events/activities and take-home materials provided to participant youth. Additionally, FLIPANY conducted outreach engaging over 500 members of the community in nutrition education at various partner sites and community events and delivered 1594 packets of multilingual take-home materials to support this outreach effort. Goal 3: Improve/develop linkages in local food systems for greater community self-reliance and sustainability-FLIPANY has worked closely during this first year of the Community Food Project with program partner, The Palm Beach County Food Bank, to garner the resources needed to address food distributions within PBC. This collaboration has resulted in FLIPANY PBC staff now being co-located within a satellite office at The Palm Beach County Food Bank. FLIPANY completed formal food distribution events with program partners, Lutheran Services in Pahokee, and Black Family Community High School. These 3 distributions served over 287 families. In addition to these events, FLIPANY conducted 10 food distribution events (separate event dates) at 4 different locations in "The Glades" for a total of 40 distributions during the 1st quarter of the project period of performance. These family meal (2lb take-home meals) distributions provided over 1,000 meals to families in this area of concentrated need. Goal 4: Increase the visibility and participation of members of target communities-FLIPANY facilitated a connection between the Palm Beach County Food Bank and the United Way's Hunger Relief Planning Work Group, enhancing local agencies' ability to collaborate on nutrition insecurity and engage with the farming community. Six interns were hired to support community food distributions, nutrition education, and meal services. Notably, four interns were onboarded through a college course that required unpaid participation. This group developed family engagement curriculum content that reflected community needs, which will continue to be expanded as new interests arise. One community member transitioned into a permanent role as a nutrition educator with FLIPANY. The program's expansion also benefited local caterers involved in federal meals programs by helping them retain staff during slow seasons and creating additional summer jobs for delivery drivers and program assistants, all of whom were local residents. Goal 5: Support the development of entrepreneurial projects for community resiliency-Auntie Roses Soul Food Kitchen, a minority woman-owned small business in Belle Glade, Florida, has been a long-term partner with FLIPANY, providing nutritious meals to the local community. For this program, FLIPANY contracted Auntie Roses to supply both adult and MSBS meals. ?The expansion of the Federal Meals programs and the inclusion of adult meals brought significant benefits to Auntie Roses. Due to its remote location, the business often struggled with receiving deliveries from commercial food distributors like SYSCO, which typically bypass small orders in less profitable areas. This forced Auntie Roses to source supplies from more expensive vendors, increasing operating costs. However, the additional meal orders gave Auntie Roses the purchasing power needed to secure deliveries from major distributors like SYSCO, reducing overhead costs and increasing profitability. The Program's achievements support the CFPCG Program's goals of rural prosperity and economic development. By enhancing nutrition knowledge and food skills, the Program improved access to nutritious foods through federal programs and implemented effective education activities. High participation rates and positive feedback indicate increased visibility and engagement of target communities. Enhanced food-related knowledge and skills lay the groundwork for supporting entrepreneurial projects and job skills in the food industry. Key Outcomes- Among youth participants, the program led to statistically significant improvements across several key areas. Nutrition knowledge increased from 63% to 81%, with a medium effect size (d = 0.57), and 50% of participants improved their scores. There was also a significant gain in nutrition self-efficacy, with mean scores rising from 4.1 to 4.4 on a 5-point scale (p = .014), indicating a small effect size (d = 0.33). Competence in reading food labels and healthy food selection improved notably, with scores increasing from 26% to 38% (p = .013), reflecting a small effect size (d = 0.34) and improvement in 45% of participants. Youth food preparation skills also showed gains, with scores rising from 49% to 61% (p = .070), although with a smaller effect size (d = 0.24), 34% of participants improved. Adults also experienced positive outcomes, with nutrition knowledge scores increasing from 58% to 75%, accompanied by a medium effect size (d = 0.65). Self-efficacy scores improved from 3.8 to 4.1 on a 5-point scale (p = .484), with a small effect size (d = 0.31). Additionally, competence in reading food labels and selecting healthy foods saw gains, with scores rising from 8% to 25% (p = .175), demonstrating a medium effect size (d = 0.65). Adults rated FLIPANY's services highly, with satisfaction ratings averaging 4.7 out of 5 for usefulness and 4.6 for willingness to use the services again. A large majority (85%) agreed that the services helped their household eat more balanced meals. Youth feedback was equally positive, with satisfaction ratings averaging 4.6 out of 5 for usefulness and 4.5 for willingness to use the services again. Overall, participants found the program engaging and beneficial, particularly in teaching health and wellness.

Publications