Non Technical Summary
Puerto Rico has the highest poverty rate of any US jurisdiction at 42%: three times higher than the US average of 12.6%[1]. The island imports 85% of the food consumed, using a strictly federally regulated maritime transportation system, resulting in significantly higher food prices than the US mainland. This "triangle of food insecurity" results in food insecurity levels that triple the US average, and even higher in remote rural areas.Puerto Rico's version of the SNAP program, NAP (or PAN in Spanish), is a block-grant. Unlike SNAP, which allocates state funds according to population needs, Puerto Rico's NAP program is allocated a set block amount regardless of need. This prevents NAP from effectively responding to the nutrition assistance needs of the Island's population. Since its introduction in the 1980s, block granting has reduced participation rates and average per-household monthly allocation by a staggering 50%. On average, a 1-person NAP household receives $189/mo, while an equal household would receive $291/mo. with SNAP.These elements have resulted in food insecurity levels that are twice as high as the next highest US State (31% vs. Mississippi at 17%), and three times the US National average of 10% (Feeding America, "Map the Meal Gap, 2023.The new, proposed 2024 BAPRs GusNIP FLSP (large scale) program seeks to expand its current pilot program to communities across Puerto Rico. The program will have a 2-prong redemption approach for reaching participants:In-Person: BAPR will work with partner organizations in 9 communities across the island that are geographically distributed and were chosen due to the: higher levels food insecurity and PAN participation, geographical location (urban and rural areas), and compliance and good-standing with the BAPR. These agencies will serve as redemption hubs for nearby communities to ensure the program is made available to the most participants. They will collect purchase receipts, deliver product incentives to participants, and register data using our Feeding America neighbor intake platform "Insights". This will ensure access to participants that do not have easy access to online sources.Online: For participants with limited or no transportation, we have partnered with CPE to provide an online ordering platform, where participants can place their order, receive incentive boxes, and have everything home-delivered free of charge. Payment will be done in person through PAN EBT terminals (CPE is a PAN-approved vendor).The project includes nutrition education that will be included in all incentive boxes and will rotate monthly. We have also incorporated home agriculture education through our "Caja Verde" program. These series of seminars will educate participants on home agriculture to drive food self-sufficiency and help achieve long-term sustainability. Our fresh products Mobile Pantry program, targeted to launch 2025-26, will also provide continuity and sustainability to the purchasing behavior changes we will achieve through the 4-year grant period.Our main goal is to ensure NAP participants in Puerto Rico purchase and consume more fresh fruits and vegetables. During theprogram period we plan to distribute provide incentives to 1,000 NAP participants monthly in communities throughout Puerto Rico, including Vieques, ensuring a minimum of $1MM in purchases of fruits and vegetables with NAP dollars. This will be achieved with monthly community impacts throughout the communities and online and telephone purchases through our online portal.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
704	6050	1010	100%

Knowledge Area
704 - Nutrition and Hunger in the Population;

Subject Of Investigation
6050 - Communities, areas, and regions;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;

Goals / Objectives
BAPR received a 2023 GusNIP-FPP grant. The 2024 GusNIP-FLSP proposal expands islandwide, focusing on remote rural and underrepresented populations, and using 2023 learnings and to increase access to incentives.Its goal is aligned with BAPR's mission and GusNIP goals: reduce food insecurity and improve nutrition among participants. We will achieve this by: (a) increasing the total value of participants' NAP funds; (b) improving nutrition through increased purchasing/consumption of fruits and vegetables; and (c) achieve sustainability and food sovereignty through agricultural self- sufficiency.The program will provide a 3x1 incentive to 1000 NAP participants monthly:With proof-of-purchase of $20 in fruits and vegetables with NAP funds, participants receive a $60-value NAP food box. Incentive value increases vs. 2023 by leveraging BAPRs retail donation network and Feeding America purchasing resources to give participants a 3x1 incentive, thus increasing NAP funds' value by $60.Using learnings from 2023, it will provide alternative redemption methodologies: (a) onsite distribution at 8 regional redemption centers throughout PR. Sites were selected geographically, emphasizing remote, rural and underrepresented communities with limited digital access. (b) online platform that delivers to 76/78 municipalities, to reach participants with limited transportation or access to brick-mortar retail outlets. Redemption alternatives ensure more equitable access to project incentives, especially remote rural and lower-income participants.Finally, home-agriculture education provides an avenue to participant's food autonomy, our main sustainability strategy, using BAPRs Caja Verde educational program.The project addresses food insecurity and nutrition by incentivizing changes in partiicpants' purchasing behavior thus achieving long-term systemic changes.

Project Methods
1. Food Distrbution: We will distribute 1000 monthly boxes to NAP participants in 9 communities accross Puerto RIco. 60% of the boxes will be delivered on-site, in communiteis where access to online resources are limited, and 40% will be delivered through online ordering, targetted at participants with transportation limitations.2. Education:The Caja Verde nutrition and agri-education program will give participants the tools to grow at least a portion of the fruits and vegetables they consume. On a larger scale, it helps improve PRs food autonomy. On an individual scale, it helps participants continue their healthy eating habits past the program incentive period. Surveys will track the percentage of participants that start home gardening post-education, and the percentage of consumed food that is home-grown.3. EvaluationProcess assessment: We'll have a 3-tiered process assessment: (a) Process highlights/learnings are included the Program Officer's monthly program report; (b) BAPR and all participating partners will have quarterly review meetings, including an internal process evaluation; (c) yearly learnings will be included in the 3rd-party formal evaluation and shared with NTAE.2. Outcome assessment: BAPR will collect participant-level data using Feeding America's proprietary intake platform (Service Insights) and the online ordering platform, which will also provide firm-level data. In addition, Program Officer will conduct a minimum 200 surveys annually: 20 surveys/month rotating per site, and 20 online surveys will ensure a statistically representative sample of each community. 5 additional project-specific questions will be added to assess barriers to food access and specific project outcome metrics. Monthly outcome findings (including survey data) will be included in the monthly program report and will be evaluated internally in the quarterly partner meeting. Yearly learnings will be included in the 3rd-party formal evaluation and shared with NTAE.