Progress 04/01/15 to 03/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The MoGro FINI Pilot Project web-based platform documented 937 unique SNAP recipient families, from over 16 different community food sites. The participating families do not report race or ethnicity, though our participating community organizations that house the food distrobution sites are working with low income families, who are screened or referred by the on-site staff or Champions as being a key target participants. Communities served by this project include lower income White and Latino / Hispanic families (from sites likethe La Familia Medical Clinics, Health Offices, and National Dance Institute, YouthWorks and various public schools), as well as other tribal communities (served primarily through the Santa Ana Pueblo's Tamaya Wellness Center, Kewa Pueblo Health Clinic, Native American Community Academy and the Jemez Public Health Clinic. The families served by this project aresupported by on-site "Food Champions" who help families place orders, and organize food deliveries at the community organization. Primary efforts included provision of "food access sites" in clinics and community-based organizations, as well as cooking classes and nutrition education programs (formal classroom instruction). Cooking classes were hosted in Jemez Pueblo, La Familia Medical Clinic and San Ildefonso Pueblo. Changes/Problems:Thefood access project, built around FINI incentives offered significant lessons for our work moving forward. Throughout the project, MoGro struggled with retention -- something nearly all other CSAs we've spoken to do not address or track specifically. As mentioned in previous reports, our "new customer" rates hovered around 15% - 20% while the number of orders remained fairly static. While we haven't been able to contextualize this rate for the broader industry, it still remains a key challenge in understanding how and whether CSA models are adressing food insecuriity successfully. In working to address this particular issue, MoGro underwent dramatic shifts (changing key parnerships and online platforms, moving warehouses), in part to try to address what were critical limitations in either the product or delivery model. Part of this strategy was to reduce food costs (and share size) for families from 10 to 8 items per week, while reducing the price for SNAP recipients from $10 to $5 per week. This new pricing system (which operates on a sliding scale) is recently launched, and we hope has major opportunity for reaching more families in need. We are now offering the $5 price for SNAP recipient families, $10 for non SNAP-recipient (but still) lower income families, then $20 and $25 to higher income families that can help to off-set the cost of food that is being offered to others. Another key challenge was understanding the balance necessary of both local foods (and perhaps a bit less familiar) with the bananas, oranges and carrots most famiies look for in the supermarket. Family education was certainly a major component of the project, and highlighting the value of local foods and farmer stories was a useful tool -- however, there are real constraints in connecting the farmers who typically grow foods for high-end restaurants and farmers markets, to help grow some more familiar foods for our families. We think this is an area for great potential if CSA models can secure a set number of shares per week for farmers, helping them to plan ahead and confidently sell what they grow. We also recognize the challenge of online purchasing for many of the most insecure families we serve. Families who do not have credit, or formal banking simply cannot participate through online purchase platforms. For this reason, we have planned to re-structure our market distrobution days so that families with pre-orders can pick up their food and groceries, but there will also be weekly shares offered for sale along the sliding scale to anyone who is interested. We do see progress in that there are more opportunities for MoGro to partner with local farmers, food pantries, homeless shelters, medical centers and schools -- to meet families where they are currently being served, and providing a product that is unique and sustainable for the whole community and food economy. A new project site at an early childhood center in Santa Fe may also offer new programatic alignment for the project moving forward. And MoGro has had great success in working with value chain coordinators to help generate enough alignment across the supply chain to successfully partner with many local farmers, greatly exceeding our original estimates. New Mexico however, has extreme challenges for farmers who are working to grow for the increasing market demand. Our small farm-holders (1/2 to 5 acre plots make up the lion's share of growers) cannot successfully meet larger institutional needs, while simultaneously the average aged farmer (at 69) are growing too old to continue this work. New and younger farmers lack access to credit and land necessary for agriculture growth in the industry, while drought and climate change further exacerbate these risks. While much work is happening in the state legislature, as well as locally to support the growing capacity and scale of farmers in our region, we are acutely concerned with making sure our rich agricultural traditions are truly benefitingall New Mexico families. We continue working to ensure that farmers, farm workers and lower income families are held within an equitable food system, one that nourishes and provides tangible benefit and sustenance for all. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?At each new site during the project period, MoGroworkedwith a local volunteer, parent or staff person who would help with the distrobution logistics and participant member outreach. As such, each Food Champion would be trained in the delivery and distrobution process, payments, customer service and collection of other necessary tracking log data. These Champions then occupied a critical community leadership role for the project, and one that is becoming a more formalized position within each site, which now brings an annual stipend to members of the community. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated to communities and community groups through all partner meetings. In these gatherings, reflectionsand progress were reported and provided in summary to participants. Attendees include community health workers, clinic staff, directors of wellness programs, NM Department of Health, Tribal leaders, and program participants.MoGro also hosts and participates in larger collaborative monthly meetings with other partner groups to report on new findings and project results (Santa Fe Food Policy Council, Eight Northern Pueblos, NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council among others). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
New Mexico ranks among the worst in the country for food insecurity and poverty - these twin problems affecting a health crisis manifested in childhood obesity, diabetes and chronic health risks. The most recent 2018 Annie E. Casey report further highlightsthat New Mexico continues to rank 50th in child wellbeing. Given these systemic challenges, efforts to not just improve food access, but empower families to cook foods in new ways are critical, particularly among the country's most vulnerable populations. Using direct incentives and partnerships with health workers in community-based organizations, 96% of participants report increasing their family's access and consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables, and 72% report increasing redemption of SNAP benefits. MoGro also supported families to increase healthy food choices through 64cooking classes, with 94% of participants reporting feeling more capable of cooking healthy foods for their family, and 92% learning more about the dietary importance of fruits and vegetables. The project has offered significant learning for how to connect SNAP consumers to agricultural producers, and how to support families in making substantial strides toward changing dietary behavior and improving health outcomes. Goal 1: MoGro established Healthy SNAP Food Clubs in 16 sites, serving roughly 937 unique SNAP recipient families (an estimated2,492 individuals, using the state HH size average) over the course of the project period. Incentives were processed for all SNAP users and families received weekly offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables, greatly exceeding our 16% goal for locally procured foods, reaching nearly 80% local produce in last seasons efforts. Over the course of the project, MoGro sourced from over 65different farms and growers, again greatly exceeding our project goals. Over the course of the project, MoGro recorded over $295,000 in direct sales, with an additional$84,796in incentive and support funding.Working with partner sites to establish the project requiredsome lead time to engage in outreach and enrollment efforts. Moreover, while many patients and families were believed to be already receiving food stamps, partners worked separately to help families enrolland make sure they knew how to utilize their benefits across the community. In anecdotal reports, participants reported high levels of overall satisfaction with the program, and its administration (using online ordering and on-site EBT payment). Over the course of the project period, MoGro implemented effective SNAP redemption methods at each project site. EBT machines or paper vouchers were used at each project site, and training was provided to program staff for administering transactions. Transactions are captured in MoGro's webstore platform, totaling $295,044.78in sales/transaction (prior to counting incentive monies).In survey responses, over 90% of respondents have reported that the EBT system was "easy" or "very easy" in the MoGro Healthy SNAP program. Moreover, 72% of respondents reported that they "purchased a little more, or much more fruits and vegetables" with their SNAP benefits. Over the course of the project period, participants have increased their access to SNAP retailers, as part of a new healthy food environment. Goal 2: MoGro worked with program sites over the project period to develop and host cooking classes showcasing healthy, simple and nutritious recipes. Sixty-fourcooking classes were held, with 1180 participants from across all project sites. Moreover, 1293 food demonstrations/distributions were delivered in community events. Survey data was collected from site-based cooking classes, including information new knowledge and skills. Of the respondents surveyed, 92% reported an increase in knowledge about the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables, and 94% reported feelingmore capable of cooking healthy foods for their families. Participants reported an increase in knowledge of the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables, changing their dietary and shopping behavior. Over the project period, MoGro hosted 26meetings with partners, to share operational and logistical lessons for implementation, collecting data on retention, customer challenges, pick-up rate and feedback on quality control. Overall, partners have reported that the program is improving the ease of use for members, making staff available for customer needs, and identifying new systems for easier payment accounting. Outcomes include increasing knowledge about most effective practices for SNAP redemption in CSA-style retailers. Through the project, MoGro began distributing weeklynewsletters (as opposed to monthly), distributing over 15,000 print newsletters. Over 1,230 direct mailings across Jemez and Santo Domingo were also distributed. These newsletters bring added information and resources to participating families, supplementing the community education classes and providing readily available literature on food, cooking and fitness. Goal 3: MoGro developed and distributed surveys through the site partners. In the first year, 84 surveys were collected over two time periods. 100% of respondents reported that participation in MoGro program resulted in their family eating "more fruits and vegetables each week," 78% report eating "more or much more fruits and vegetables in their own diet," 92% report "greater understanding of the importance of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet;" 100% report feeling "more capable of cooking healthy foods" and making "healthy food choices." Outcomes include change in dietary behavior, increased knowledge, and increased capacity for cooking and eating healthy foods. In the first year, in LFMC clinic settings, participants receiving nutritionist support had weight and BMI captured in anonymized excel spreadsheets. BMI and weight were collected as initial indicators of health outcomes for 318 patients, though 55 patients had two data points. Of the smaller subset with two data points, 58% hadreduced BMI since participating in the MoGro Food Club. Integrating the Food Club with nutrition and health education has strengthened program impacts, and highlights the added value of strong community partnerships. At least 58% of participants have changed their food environments and their health conditions. Then, in the following year's efforts, 79 surveys were collected, with 72% of respondents reported that participation in MoGro program resulted in their family eating "more fruits and vegetables each week," and 92% report "greater understanding of the importance of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet;" 94% report feeling "more capable of cooking healthy foods" and making "healthy food choices."
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Progress 04/01/16 to 03/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The MoGro Healthy SNAP project reached several different low-income and at-risk communities, representing a range of ethnic and racial minorities including Latino/Hispanic families (many of whom are solely Spanish speakers), and Native American families in Santo Domingo, Jemez, and San Ildefonso Pueblos. This project also reached low-income urban Caucasian families living in SantaFe and Albuquerque regions. The families served by this project are being supported by on-site "Food Champions" who help families place orders, and organize food deliveries at the community organization. These are families who are identified as food-insecure, nutritionally at-risk and/or requiring added support to identify healthy food sources. Primary efforts included provision of "food access sites" in clinics and community-based organizations, as well as cooking classes and nutrition education programs (formal classroom instruction).Cooking classes were hosted in Jemez Pueblo, La Familia Medical Clinic and San Ildefonso Pueblo. Changes/Problems:Over the course of the project period, MoGro has been working to improve our systems approach with regard to the rate of SNAP redemption for our mobile grocery initiative. As we typically add 15% new customers each week, we have felt very optimistic about our outreach and partnership efforts. While demand seems strong, we have faced challenges over the past year to retain SNAP recipient families for two fundamental reasons. While some changes have already been implemented, in the coming months we are taking significant steps to improve our food procurement and better support participating families. In rural New Mexico, much of the work in this project has involved developing systems for off-line EBT redemption alongside our weekly custom-ordered box program. Over the last year, we have experienced challenges with the basic functioning of EBT devices, contributing in part, to the challenge of retaining SNAP-recipient families. While we have implemented Food Clubs in many sites around northern New Mexico, each site has required a separate assessment about what form of EBT redemption to offer (voucher, plug-in device, vs mobile). When we began experiencing difficulty with inconsistent EBT devices, we often had to switch back and forth, month over month, while requesting new replacement devices. The ultimate impact on the customer experience was an inconsistency and confusion about what to expect, particularly with regard to how families should plan and budget their SNAP funds (as vouchers place funds on hold, while devices transact immediately). Due to these challenges, new sites are now using vouchers exclusively. When this has been the established expectation, there are nearly no issues to the customer's process. However, as mobile devices seem to be proliferating (and possibly even online SNAP redemption), MoGro has been assessing which sites may be better suited to use these new systems. As an online-based mobile market, we hope to also learn more from the pilot testing of the online EBT redemption, and utilize a truly innovative system for addressing food insecurity in New Mexico. Moreover, when we began to see static participation rates, we also initiated a process to uncover retention data from our customer families. After months of collecting information and conducting phone interviews, we were able to assess that several factors had been impeding family participation. One of the most critical influences had been product quality. As we learned from our members, with an online grocery platform, food quality had to exceed normal retail standards in order to overcome the trust needed to purchase food sight-unseen. As a result of careful assessment of our partner supplier (who is responsible for procurement and packing), we have chosen to terminate our sourcing partnership, as we have seen a protracted decline in quality. In order to provide the greatest quality to our Food Club members, we will be sourcing directly from Veritable Vegetable, and a network of local and regional farmers with which we have begun building relationships. While we believe this is an important transition, we felt it necessary to take a thorough assessment of options before we developed an alternative plan. As that process took many months, we can now best tailor our food access program to reflect the strengths of our delivery model, and provide quality organic produce to families who lack access across New Mexico. Operating a somewhat unique program where low-income families visit an online webstore has allowed MoGro to pilot-test some of the potential areas of opportunity for this low-cost delivery model. Now having devoted paid staff to support on-site redemption, and with new procurement partnerships, we believe we can better systematize how our families can utilize the program. In particular, working with a local Rural Food Pantry program, MoGro anticipates being able to provide increased rural participation across new sites in areas of Northern New Mexico where there are currently no SNAP retailers within accessible distance. We hope there will be an opportunity to continue these direct benefits to New Mexico families, as we've been working through this iterative process to determine the most effective SNAP redemption systems for our partners, and our clients. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Since the FINI project began, MoGro developed a need for a more outreach-focused staff person who would also help train Food Champions as new sites came online. In June of 2016, MoGro hired an Operations and Outreach Coordinator who is tasked with helping to recruit on-site community champions and train themin basic outreach activities, as well as delivery-day logistical support. In one site, MoGro is supporting a Food Champion with a stipend, which allows her to work while caring for her young child, providing a small income stream while creating an important support system for families picking up weekly orders. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results and feedback are shared to our community partners on a regular (sometimes weekly) basis. All twelve sites have regular communication with our outreach and support staff. MoGro also hosts and participates inlarger collaborative meetings with other partner groups to report on new findings and project results (Santa Fe Food Policy Council, Eight Northern Pueblos, among others). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?MoGro will continue to develop new food access sites (including launching a new site with Indian Health Services, Santa Fe County, and Presbyterian Medical Group in Santa Fe); seek new funding to support cooking classes; collaborate more closely with program partners for evaluation support and capturing health/wellness outcomes; hold feedback sessions or solicit input from members regarding new products and services, hire and train new interns to support warehouse and distrobution operations.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: MoGro has established Healthy SNAP Food Clubs in 12 community sites, serving roughly 660 families each month. With organic produce boxes delivered weekly, participants utilized EBT machines, as well as off-line EBT vouchers to process SNAP payments. Over the reporting period, MoGro captured $26,864 in SNAP sales (plus an additional $26,864 in incentive matching), with overall market sales totaling $143,954. Over the course of the reporting period, MoGro sourced from over 50 local/regional farmers through the procurement partners of Skarsgard Farms CSA. Procurement data is collected from Webstore platform, and order logs. MoGro successfully partnered with local and regional farmers, sourcing nearly 40% of Food Club produce within the regional food shed. Food Club participants were able to access healthy, local and regional organic produce, increasing members' knowledge and familiarity with seasonal offerings and growing practices. Partnering producers increased their sales to local markets. EBT machines or paper vouchers were placed at each project site, and training was provided to program staff for administering transactions. Number of transactions are captured in MoGro's webstore platform, totaling $117,090 in sales/transaction (prior to counting incentive monies). Goal 2: While the project targets for cooking classes were already achieved in the previous reporting period, MoGro worked with program sites to develop and hold an additional 26 cooking classes showcasing healthy, simple and nutritious recipes. 26 cooking classes were held, with 340 participants from across all project sites. Survey data was collected from site-based cooking classes, including information on acquisition of new knowledge and skills. 100% of survey responses report an increase in knowledge about the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables, and 72% report eating more fruits and vegetables. Participants also reported an increase in knowledge needed to change their dietary and shopping behavior. While the previous project targets for community gatherings were met, MoGro hosts continual meetings with partners, to share operational and logistical lessons for implementation, collecting data on retention, customer challenges, pick-up rate and feedback on quality control. Overall, partners have reported that the program is improving the ease of use for members, making staff available for customer needs, and identifying new systems for easier payment accounting. Outcomes include increasing knowledge about most effective practices for SNAP redemption in CSA-style retailers. MoGro drafted and distributed weekly newsletters, as well as weekly recipe and produce information to roughly 1,000 families each week. These newsletters bring added information and resources to participating families, supplementing the community education classes and providing readily available literature on food, cooking and fitness. Goal 3: In survey distribution efforts, 79 surveys were collected, with 72% of respondents reported that participation in MoGro program resulted in their family eating "more fruits and vegetables each week," and 100% report "greater understanding of the importance of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet;" 100% report feeling "more capable of cooking healthy foods" and making "healthy food choices." Outcomes include change in dietary behavior, increased knowledge, and increased capacity for cooking and eating healthy foods. While BMI tracking ended under the first year of the grant, the reports remaining from the enrolled families show that a stable 58% have reduced their BMI after participating in the program.
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Progress 04/01/15 to 03/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:During the reporting period, the MoGro Healthy SNAP project reached several different low-income and at-risk communities (incl. poor health outcomes, high food insecurity), representing a range of ethnic and racial minorities including Latino/Hispanic families (many of whom are solely Spanish speakers), and Native American families in Santo Domingo, Jemez, San Ildefonso, and Cochiti pueblos. This project also reached low-income urban Caucasian families living in Santa Fe and Albuquerque regions. Primary efforts included provision of "food access sites" in clinics and community-based organizations, as well as cooking classes and nutrition education programs (formal classroom instruction). As recently cited in the December 2014 ERS Report "Measuring Access to Healthful, Affordable Food in American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Areas," 76.8 percent of all low-income people in surveyed American Indian Tribal areas live more than 1 mile from a supermarket, as compared to 36.4 percent of the low-income population of the United States. Particularly critical is the average distance to SNAP retailers for these Tribal communities. As documented in this report, 57.9 percent of low-income individuals on Tribal lands live between 1 and 20 miles from a SNAP authorized supermarket, and an additional 25 percent live more than 20 miles from a SNAP authorized supermarket. Moreover, as the Tribal lands captured in this project are situated in highly rural areas, the percentage of the population without access to a vehicle compounds this crisis, with 74.6 percent of the American Indian Tribal population lacking vehicle access compared to the national average of 20.1 percent. Obesity and food insecurity also disproportionately affects Hispanic and Latino communities, and is becoming more prevalent among younger people. According to a 2013 Community Needs Assessment performed by La Familia Medical Center (LFMC) as part of the REACH grant, one of the principal drivers of the obesity epidemic in Santa Fe is poor nutrition. The factors that influence and affect access to healthy food options among the Santa Fe Hispanic Community are myriad and include poverty, lack of education, chronic stress, and the fact that a large portion of the Hispanic community live in low?income, car-dependent, "food?desert" neighborhoods which restrict their access to healthy foods and physical activity. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data show that Hispanic/Latinos are more likely to have a higher BMI than non?Hispanic white children. While Santa Fe is a minority?majority community, with 50.9% of population reporting Hispanic origin, the patient population of La Familia Medical Center (the third project site) is 85% Hispanic. Among adults, the obesity rate in Santa Fe County is 25.4% for Hispanics/Latinos but only 11.2% among non?Hispanic whites. Santa Fe's adolescents also perform below state averages, with only 34.8% getting adequate physical activity and only 20.3% eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day. Changes/Problems:As a result of challenges with SNAP enrollment at the largest site (La Familia Medical Center), redemption rates were lower than expected during the reporting period. Manypatients were believed to be already receiving food stamps, significant effort was necessary to help families enroll in SNAP, and begin receiving their benefits. This particular step prolonged the initial enrollment of many members, but led to additional families opening food stamp cases.In order to effectively serve the community members with the SNAP incentives, the project received a no-cost extension, until March 31, 2017. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have been disseminated to communities and community groups through seven partner member meetings. In these gatherings, project data and progress is reported and provided in summary to participants. Attendees include community health workers, clinic staff, directors of wellness programs, NM Department of Health, Tribal leaders, and program participants. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?MoGro will: Increase number of Healthy SNAP food club sites, expanding opportunities in low-income and low-access communities. Hire and train a MoGro Community Outreach Coordinator to conduct significant outreach to the low-income and low-access community of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, directing demand to new sites as LFMC approaches program capacity. Purchase additional EBT machines for processing SNAP benefits. Conduct and collect program evaluations, capturing survey responses on SNAP redemption, program satisfaction, changes in dietary behavior and nutritional knowledge. Hold participant feedback sessions, and develop plain language documents to disseminate program results to the broader community.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
New Mexico ranks among the worst in the country for food insecurity and poverty - these twin problems affecting a health crisis manifested in childhood obesity, diabetes and chronic health risks. Given these systemic challenges, efforts to not just improve food access, but empower families to cook foods in new ways are critical, particularly among the country's most vulnerable populations. Using direct incentives and partnerships with health workers in community-based organizations, 100% of participants report increasing their family's access and consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables, and 79% report increasing redemption of SNAP benefits. MoGro also supported families to increase healthy food choices through 38 cooking classes, with 100% of participants reporting feeling more capable of cooking healthy foods for their family, and 100% learning more about the dietary importance of fruits and vegetables. The project has offered significant learning for how to connect SNAP consumers to agricultural producers, and how to support families in making substantial strides toward changing dietary behavior and improving health outcomes. Goal 1 Goal 1, Objective 1: MoGro has established Healthy SNAP Food Clubs in six community sites, serving 482 SNAP members thus far. With organic produce boxes delivered weekly, participants utilized EBT machines, as well as off-line EBT vouchers to process SNAP payments. In partnership with community-based organizations, MoGro worked to tailor delivery logistics and program implementation at each site. Purchase data is collected through the webstore (online purchase platform), where MoGro has assessed information about numbers of participants, order history, frequency of use and anecdotal program feedback. Over the reporting period, MoGro captured $16,280 in SNAP sales (plus an additional $16,280 in incentive matching), with overall market sales totaling $92,853. Working with partner sites took longer than anticipated, and some lead time to engage in outreach and enrollment efforts. Moreover, while many patients were believed to be already receiving food stamps, significant effort was necessary to help families enroll in SNAP, and begin receiving their benefits. This particular step prolonged the initial enrollment of many members, but led to many families opening food stamp cases. However, in anecdotal reports, participants reported high levels of overall satisfaction with the program, and its administration (using online ordering and on-site EBT payment). Over the course of the reporting period, MoGro implemented effective SNAP redemption methods at each project site. Goal 1, Objective 2: Over the course of the reporting period, MoGro sourced from over 50 local/regional farmers through the procurement partners of Skarsgard Farms CSA. Procurement data is collected from Webstore platform, and order logs. MoGro successfully partnered with local and regional farmers, sourcing nearly 40% of Food Club produce within the regional food shed. Food Club participants were able to access healthy, local and regional organic produce, increasing members' knowledge and familiarity with seasonal offerings and growing practices. Partnering producers increased their sales to local markets. Goal 1, Objective 3: EBT machines were placed at each project site, and training was provided to program staff for administering transactions. Number of transactions are captured in MoGro's webstore platform, totaling $16,280 in sales/transaction (prior to counting incentive monies). In survey responses, over 92% of respondents have reported that the EBT system was "easy" or "very easy" in the MoGro Healthy SNAP program. Moreover, 78% of respondents reported that they "purchased a little more, or much more fruits and vegetables" with their SNAP benefits. Over the course of the reporting period, participants have increased their access to SNAP retailers, as part of a new healthy food environment. Goal 2 Goal 2, Objective 1: MoGro worked with program sites to develop and hold 38 cooking classes showcasing healthy, simple and nutritious recipes. 38 cooking classes were held, with 840 participants from across all project sites. Moreover, 1293 food demonstrations/distributions were delivered in community events. Survey data was collected from site-based cooking classes, including information on acquisition of new knowledge and skills. 100% of survey responses report an increase in knowledge about the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables, and 100% feel more capable of cooking healthy foods for their families. Participants reported an increase in knowledge of the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables, changing their dietary and shopping behavior. However, as a result of space limitations, monthly nutrition education programs were provided on a first come, first-served basis. In all participating sites, cooking classes were consistently entirely booked, showing great demand for hands-on educational instruction. Goal 2, Objective 2: MoGro hosted 7 formal meetings with partners, to share operational and logistical lessons for implementation, collecting data on retention, customer challenges, pick-up rate and feedback on quality control. Overall, partners have reported that the program is improving the ease of use for members, making staff available for customer needs, and identifying new systems for easier payment accounting. Outcomes include increasing knowledge about most effective practices for SNAP redemption in CSA-style retailers. Goal 2, Objective 3: MoGro drafted and distributed monthly newsletters, as well as weekly recipe and produce information. Over 1,230 direct mailings across Jemez and Santo Domingo were distributed, as well as 15,280 newsletter materials (via hardcopy and e-blasts). These newsletters bring added information and resources to participating families, supplementing the community education classes and providing readily available literature on food, cooking and fitness. Goal 3 Goal 3, Objective 1: MoGro developed and distributed surveys through the site partners. 84 surveys were collected over two time periods. 100% of respondents reported that participation in MoGro program resulted in their family eating "more fruits and vegetables each week," 78% report eating "more or much more fruits and vegetables in their own diet," 100% report "greater understanding of the importance of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet;" 100% report feeling "more capable of cooking healthy foods" and making "healthy food choices." Outcomes include change in dietary behavior, increased knowledge, and increased capacity for cooking and eating healthy foods. Goal 3, Objective 2: MoGro developed and distributed surveys through the site partners. 84 surveys were collected over two time periods. 100% of respondents reprted "greater understanding of the importance of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet;" 100% reported feeling "more capable of cooking healthy foods" and making "healthy food choices." Outcomes include change in dietary behavior, increased knowledge, and increased capacity for cooking and eating healthy foods. Goal 3, Objective 3: In LFMC clinic settings, participants receiving nutritionist support had weight and BMI captured in anonymized excel spreadsheets. BMI and weight were collected as initial indicators of health outcomes for 318 patients, though 55 patients had two data points. Of the smaller subset with two data points, 58% have reduced BMI since participating in the MoGro Food Club. Integrating the Food Club with nutrition and health education has strengthened program impacts, and highlights the added value of strong community partnerships. At least 58% of participants have changed their food environments and their health conditions.
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