Source: Glynwood Center, Inc. submitted to
CSA IS A SNAP
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031482
Grant No.
2023-70415-41205
Cumulative Award Amt.
$499,840.00
Proposal No.
2023-05789
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 15, 2023
Project End Date
Sep 14, 2026
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[FIP]- FINI Project
Project Director
Hughes, M. L.
Recipient Organization
Glynwood Center, Inc.
PO Box 157
Cold Spring,NY 10516
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
CSA is a SNAP is a program of the Glynwood Cetner's Hudson Valley CSA Coalition, a group of more than 120 direct-marketing farms in New York that collaborate "to make CSA a familiar and accessible option for everyone in the Hudson Valley." We believe that people who participate in SNAP deserve equitable access to the bounty of highly nutritious food their local farmers produce. Data on food insecurity show that a quarter of low-income households in the US, including SNAP participants, struggle to have enough healthy food for the whole month to meet the nutritional needs of all family members. In short, regional and national data show that affordability and access are key barriers to food and nutrition security for low-income households.CSA is a SNAP is designed to make CSA more accessible and affordable to customers paying with SNAP benefits, thereby increasing low-income household food and nutrition security. The program addresses accessibility and affordability by enabling weekly payments for SNAP members, and by providing a 1:1 matching incentive in the form of a discount, effectively reducing the price of a guaranteed weekly share of locally grown vegetables and fruit by half. CSA is a SNAP supports USDA Strategic Goal 4: Provide all Americans with Safe, Nutritious Food. The program is directly aligned with GusNIP's purpose and priorities, including providing a 1:1 matching incentive for locally grown vegetables and fruit, thereby halving the cost of a guaranteed weekly box of fresh produce for those paying with SNAP benefits.Program goals are to: 1) Strengthen SNAP household food and nutrition security by enabling participation in locally-grown vegetable and fruit CSA farm shares; and 2) Expand the proportion of low-income, underserved households participating in CSA programs in the Hudson Valley, while maintaining farm business viability. Objectives to meet these goals are: 1) Provide a subsidized dollar-for-dollar fruit and vegetable incentive for SNAP customers; 2) Align CSA and SNAP programs so that SNAP recipients can legally and practically join; 3) Increase CSA awareness and participation among SNAP recipients; 4) Provide nutrition and cooking education and support to SNAP customers.This expansion project will extend CSA is a SNAP from the current pilot-scale five farms serving 98 families, to 32 farms serving 768 families across New York's Hudson Valley region by 2026.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
80%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
7036010101080%
7036020101010%
7036050101010%
Knowledge Area
703 - Nutrition Education and Behavior;

Subject Of Investigation
6010 - Individuals; 6020 - The family and its members; 6050 - Communities, areas, and regions;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;
Goals / Objectives
The goals, objectives and activities of the CSA is a SNAP program are designed to address the following needs discussed in the introduction: access, affordability, food security, social equity and CSA farm business viability.Goals and ObjectivesGoal 1 Strengthen SNAP household food and nutrition security by enabling their participation in locally-grown vegetable and fruit CSA farm shares.Goal 2 Expand the proportion of low-income, underserved households participating in CSA programs in the Hudson Valley, while maintaining farm business viability.Objective 1: Provide a subsidized dollar-for-dollar fruit and vegetable incentive for SNAP customers participating in CSA programs. This objective addresses the needs of affordability and farm business viability by providing external monetary resources for a half-price discount to SNAP customers while ensuring local farms receive the full retail share price for their produce.Objective 2: Align CSA and SNAP programs so that SNAP recipients can legally and practically join a local CSA of their choice. This objective addresses the need for access by changing CSA program rules to enable weekly payments that align with SNAP program rules and by ensuring CSA distribution times and locations are convenient for SNAP participants.Objective 3: Increase CSA awareness and participation among SNAP recipients. This objective is supported by CSA is a SNAP Ambassador outreach, language justice initiatives and partnering with farmers who identify as part of the communities they serve and who offer culturally relevant foods. This objective further addresses access by ensuring program contents and promotion are highly relevant to, and reach, households that participate in SNAP.Objective 4: Provide education and support to SNAP customers so that they can better use the vegetables and fruit available through CSA is a SNAP participation. The activities that support this objective aim to inspire SNAP customers to be creative and feel empowered in the kitchen, which enhances SNAP household food security and social equity in the food system.
Project Methods
Methods & EvaluationProject Promotion and OutreachCSA is a SNAP has developed a successful promotional plan using social outreach and professionally branded, multilingual materials. Our outreach focuses on relating: 1) what a CSA is, how it works and the types of local fresh vegetables and fruit offered; 2) the availability of a half-price discount for those paying with SNAP benefits; 3) the length of the CSA season, where the weekly shares are distributed, and alternate pickup options; 4) how to sign up; and 5) contact information for the CSA farmer and for Glynwood program staff. Print and peer-led social outreach focus on low-income communities where each farm partner's SNAP distribution site is located; digital outreach casts a wider, yet targeted net through regional web advertising.The program also includes a novel peer-led social outreach model by working with Ambassadors-program participants who are passionate about, supported, and compensated forpromoting the program to their communities. CSA is a SNAP Ambassadors share their program experience through word-of-mouth, social media, fliers and other means they determine effective for their networks.Technical Capabilities and SolutionsThe program will assist farms and distribution site partners with FNS SNAP retailer applications as needed, provide support in selecting the correct EBT processing equipment for their needs, ensure they understand and have the correct technology in place to efficiently process transactions, and direct them to federal and state technology reimbursement and support programs.POS/Cashier Training PlanDistribution site workers and partner farmers are trained annually each Spring before the start of the main CSA season, and are offered ongoing support by program staff as needed. This training covers the basics of the CSA is a SNAP program, the technological aspects of EBT transactions, and cultural competency training to reduce stigmatization for SNAP customers at the point of sale. Unlike at traditional retail locations, cashiers at CSA distribution sites can easily determine which transactions are eligible for the program because there is only one item - the weekly CSA vegetable and fruit share- that is eligible for an automatic half-price incentive, and cashiers are already in possession of a named list of CSA is a SNAP customers at each distribution. Cashiers are trained in how to accurately record when any member picks up their share, including CSA is a SNAP members, and to record how many shares are not retrieved, how to contact customers who missed pickup, and then how to donate any intentionally abandoned shares to the partnering food pantry.Table 2: Timeline of CSA is a SNAP Program Activities†All activities repeat yearly, unless marked with an asterisk *One-time activity at start of grantSeasonMilestone/ Major ActivitySNAP Recipient InvolvementFall†*Recruit, hire and onboard a CSA is a SNAP Program Manager to work closely with the Program Director.intentionally recruited to apply*Develop a uniform system for farms to report SNAP sales.Hold CSA is a SNAP annual meeting with all stakeholders.participationDistribute cooking and nutrition education materials through partnering farms at CSA distributions.inform development of materialsCollect farm and participant level evaluation data.survey respondentsRecruit, train and support CSA is a SNAP Ambassadors for word-of-mouth and social promotion in their communities.recruited only from SNAP customer poolProduce professional, multilingual print and digital promotional materials, in written and video formats.featured in materials and provide feedbackImpact tracking and grant reporting.survey respondentsWinterDraw from CSA farm waitlist to invite new farm partners.former SNAP farmersDetermine if additional physical POS technology is required.Hold workshop to train and support CSA farms to engage, market and build relationships with SNAP customers.share stories at farm trainingHold cashier training on SNAP program rules, cultural competency, and POS practices.share stories at POS trainingHold workshop for all Hudson Valley CSA Coalition farms on social equity, food justice and access, specifically for CSA.share stories at food justice trainingContinue language justice support for Hudson Valley CSA Coalition in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and other languages.in response to SNAP customer languagesWork with Ambassadors and SNAP-Ed staff to expand existing CSA cooking, nutrition and educational materials.inform content and design of materialsPrint, digital marketing, and peer-to-peer program promotion campaign with partners and CSA is a SNAP Ambassadors.promote program to peersRefine evaluation feedback mechanisms, data collection tools.Analyze evaluation data, report and share with stakeholders.receive reportShare participant and firm level core data with GusNIP NTAE.Two program staff and/or Ambassadors attend a relevant conference to promote or inform program development.participationSpringHold CSA is a SNAP annual meeting; review evaluation data from previous year to inform program changes.participationContinue print and digital promotion campaign outreach with community partners and CSA is a SNAP Ambassadors.promote program to peersSummerDistribute incentive payments to CSA farms in arrears twice per season in response to reporting and invoicing.Distribute CSA is a SNAP education materials through partnering farms while in season.inform development & receive materialsEvaluationThe evaluation partner for CSA is a SNAP is the City University of New York's Urban Food Policy Institute (CUNY-UFPI). CUNY-UFPI will undertake both process and outcome evaluations for the program as required by the NTAE. Process evaluations will be completed in years one and two of the three-year funding period, to help us shape program implementation in response to the needs of SNAP participants and CSA farms. CUNY-UFPI will undertake an outcome evaluation in the final year, which will describe the extent to which program goals were met and how they support the larger GusNIP program aims. This outcome evaluation will closely follow the logic model accompanying this proposal, to gauge changes in knowledge, actions and conditions. In each year, we will collect and share required firm and participant level core metrics with the NTAE, including items related to: SNAP use; firm type; fruit and vegetable consumption; food security; socio-demographics; project satisfaction; and survey administration.In close consultation with Glynwood program staff and the NTAE, CUNY-UFPI researchers will be responsible for: designing firm, distribution site, and participant level evaluation methods and tools that satisfy all NTAE core metrics requirements; designing a survey recruitment plan for participants; consulting on the creation of marketing materials to support data collection; analyzing and reporting on data collected; and preparing, submitting and maintaining an IRB protocol for the project through CUNY's Internal Review Board. Glynnwood program staff will be responsible for ensuring MOUs with each farm are in place to ensure firm and participant level data are regularly tracked and securely shared with the NTAE. In partnership with the farms, program staff will also be responsible for survey distribution, ensuring adequate response rates, response collection, stakeholder and Leadership Committee meetings and informal feedback, evaluation data security and management, and NTAE sharing.

Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:During the reporting period, the CSA is a SNAP project targeted a racially and demographically diverse group of low-income households in the Hudson Valley and New York City. Of the Hudson Valley regions' 1.2 million residents, 2.5% identify as East Asian, 8.5% as Black, 15% as Latine/Hispanic, and 74% as White. This project's target audience in the Hudson Valley generally reflected these demographics, however, in New York City, the project specifically targeted Latine, East Asian and South Asian communities to participate, given that the CSA is a SNAP partner farms distributing shares in NYC identify as members of these communities themselves and grow produce with particular cultural relevance for these communities. The project targeted participants of various ages, particularly families with school-aged children and elders. The project targeted participants of various ages, particularly families with school-aged children and elders. Elders were targeted because the Hudson Valley population is aging above state and national levels. Between 2000 and 2017-21, the population between the ages of 60 to 84 increased 67%, outpacing both the state and U.S. population growth in this age bracket. The region's population 85 and over also grew 51%, which was the same as the national but higher than the state increase for this group. The region also had decreases in its population under 20 (11%) and between 20 and 39 (2%), while the nation had modest increases in both age brackets. Targeting families with school-aged children arose as an opportunity because of our partnership with SNAP-Ed in the Hudson Valley, which is running a text messaging system pilot that allows us to directly reach parents with SNAP in participating school districts. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Professional development and training for this project has primarily been provided through participation in Nutrition Incentive Hub activities. Both Michelle Hughes and Anabel Mejia have received ongoing mentorship and support from both evaluation and program advisors during monthly NIHub check-in calls. Michelle Hughes has also been actively involved in the CSA, farm direct technology, state funding and nutrition education and incentives communities of practice, which have provided both training and professional development opportunities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine evaluation team is currently in the process of compiling and analyzing year 1 participant survey results. We will report back on this data to our partner farms at our annual meeting scheduled for February 18, 2025. Additional activities to disseminate results will be designed once this data is available. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period we will complete the following activities: Draft and launch new partner farm application. Promote CSA is a SNAP partner farm opportunity through the Hudson Valley CSA Coalition and other channels to reach CSA farms in the region Draft returning partner farm application and end of season survey and distribute to the 15 current partner farms Review and finalize rubric used to evaluate partner farm applications Solicit participation of HV CSA Coalition leadership committee members in partner farm application and review process Conduct interviews with new partner farms Conduct one-on-one reflection and check-in meetings with returning partner farms and distribution site partners as needed Select and onboard 2025 partner farms Conduct annual partner farm onboarding and training meeting Draft Ambassador application. Promote Ambassador program and select Ambassadors to assist in participant outreach and enrollment process Conduct Ambassador training and provide ongoing support Draft and execute partner farm MOUs Design and launch customized participant outreach and promotion campaigns in partnership with partner farms, distribution site partners, and Ambassadors Ongoing technical support to partner farms for SNAP vendor certification, EBT processing, etc. Conduct partner farm site visits Program budget review and management Review participant-level survey in partnership with NYU Langone team Design participant-level survey promotional materials and campaign Launch participant-level survey and collect responses for Aug 30 USDA deadline and Nov 30 final deadline Collect individual partner farm reports for firm-level reporting Prompt partner farms for invoices and vendor paperwork in order to reimburse them for CSA share discount (disburse nutrition incentive funds) Complete NIFA and NIHub reports

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? CSA is a SNAP is designed to make Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares more accessible and affordable to customers paying with SNAP benefits, thereby increasing low-income household food and nutrition security. The program addresses the accessibility and affordability of CSA by enabling weekly payments for SNAP customers, and by providing a 1:1 matching incentive in the form of a discount, effectively reducing the price of a guaranteed weekly CSA share of locally grown vegetables and fruit by half. Most directly impacted by this project are a racially and demographically diverse group of low-income households in the Hudson Valley and New York City. Latine, East Asian and South Asian low-income households in NYC, and low-income elders, and parents with school-aged children in the Hudson Valley particularly benefited from being able to access half-priced culturally relevant fruits and vegetables directly from the partner farms. In order to meet the goals of this project, we designed a nutrition incentive program building on our four years of experience with our CSA is a SNAP pilot. This incentive provides a 50% discount on CSA shares purchased from participating partner farms, allowing farms to set their own share prices and distribution sites, and maintain control of SNAP transaction processing. The partner farms are in turn reimbursed for the remaining 50% of the value of shares sold to SNAP customers by the CSA is a SNAP program. In the fall of 2023 we began to recruit new partner farms for the program by embedding an application in our annual Hudson Valley CSA Coalition member farm survey. We had more than 20 applicants, whose applications were scored and were then interviewed by our selection committee, which is composed of staff and HV CSA Coalition Leadership Committee members. We subsequently accepted 10 new farms into the program, who joined the five partner farms continuing on from the pilot for a total of 15 partner farms in 2024. We began onboarding the partner farms into the program in February of 2024, including executing MOUs, providing cultural competency and SNAP vendor and cashier training. At the same time, we recruited and trained two CSA is a SNAP Ambassadors, who assisted partner farms with CSA is a SNAP customer outreach and recruitment. We provided Ambassadors with a promotional toolkit with resources to assist them with both in-person and social media outreach. In the early spring, we then launched our CSA is a SNAP customer outreach and recruitment campaign in collaboration with partners farms and the Ambassadors. We created customized promotional materials for each partner farm in English, Spanish, Simplified and Traditional Chinese and/or Bengali, working in partnership with our Language Justice team to translate materials. Over the course of the season, we successfully recruited 180 CSA is a SNAP customers, just shy of our goal of 200. During the season, we conducted a number of site visits to support partner farms and their distribution sites. Each partner farm received a reporting spreadsheet, which they were asked to complete on a weekly basis as shares were distributed. These spreadsheets were used both as a basis for partner farm reimbursements and firm-level reporting to the NIHub. In order to be reimbursed, each partner farm must submit invoices matching their reporting spreadsheets. We requested invoices from partner farms mid-season (Aug) and end of season (Nov). Throughout the season, we provided one-on-one technical support to partner farms, Ambassadors, as well as CSA is a SNAP participants. Participants also received in-language (English and Spanish) nutrition education materials and cooking tips, provided in both short video and print form. We are currently working on translating nutrition education materials into simplified Chinese. During the year, we also worked closely with our evaluation partners at the NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine to create and administer a participant-level survey. In addition to the core food security metrics collected across all GusNIP projects, we also collected data on the impact of the CSA is a SNAP program on amount and variety of fruit and vegetable consumption, perceived stress, happiness, and sense of belonging. 96 participants responded to our survey in either Spanish or English. We also collected biometric data from a subset of our survey respondents using a non-invasive skin carotenoid scan or "veggie meter" measurement. The veggie meter scan gives a score of 0 to 800, which is correlated with fruit and vegetable intake. This survey and biometric data is still being compiled and analyzed, and we expect to make a preliminary report available to our partner farms, funders, and participants in late February 2025. In the summer of 2024, we began recruiting for a Bilingual Food Access Coordinator to support the CSA is a SNAP program, and we hired Anabel Mejia in October 2024, in line with the timeline outlined in our original project proposal, greatly increasing our program capacity so that we can continue to scale the program over the next two years. We have and will continue to maintain our CSA is a SNAP website at www.hudsonvalleycsa.org/csa-is-a-snap.

Publications