Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:-The target audience reached for this grant period consisted of SNAP shoppers in both new and existing counties across New York State regarding the implementation of Double Up Food Bucks. Over the course of the reporting period, we have grown to include 41 new markets (combined Farm Direct and Brick & Mortar) in 8 new counties in the state. Double Up Food Bucks now operates in 35 counties. These markets and counties represent a significant growth in program reach and impact on SNAP shoppers. New Counties this reporting period Individuals using SNAP Chemung 14,479 Chenango 6,757 Fulton 8,305 Herkimer 9,077 Jefferson 14,829 Otsego 6,614 Putnam 2,700 Tompkins 7,713 (Information gathered from May 2024 SNAP Usage Data from New York Office of Temporary Disability and Assistance:https://otda.ny.gov/resources/caseload/) Changes/Problems:Major changes include: ·major problems or delays that may have a significant impact on the rate of expenditure; ·significant deviations from research schedule or goals; ·unexpected outcomes; ·or changes in approved protocols for the use or care of animals, human subjects, and/or biohazards encountered during the reporting period. The Credible 50% off model represents a significant change in our operations, as up to this point, Double Up Food Bucks New York has operated as strictly an earn and redeem incentive program. Many things contributed to the reason for this offering as a solution to the sites we work with that do not have sophisticated point of sale technology systems. These reasons include: Affordability: the app has a very approachable cost structure, making it a sustainable solution to operate financially Ease of use: the app is very easy to use for vendors and the 50% instant discount model is very easy to understand for customers Record Keeping and Reporting: Can be centrally managed by program staff to see all transactions in real-time. Vendors and DUFB Program staff have access to back-end data for verifications and troubleshooting and generated reports capture all necessary GusNIP data tracking requirements Lack of other affordable technology options: Although some other technology options do exist, many of them were not affordable in the long run Due to Credibles being a significant change, we ensured that we had the approval of NIFA prior to moving forward with this plan. We received the approval to use this technology on 06/11/2024 after submitting a letter outlining our reasoning, much of which is captured in this report. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training: All new sites were trained via a meeting with F&FN program staff prior to launching the program. F&FN staff also attend the launch of the program to provide hands-on training and support where necessary. Training involves: What is Double Up Food Bucks (staff presentations and/or direct manager training) Technology training for Fresh Incentives if necessary In-store technology and processes led by site management, if necessary Metrics to be tracked and how to report, how reimbursement work/payment cadence, etc. DUFB Program Staff have also worked closely with our large grocery store partners to build training into theonboarding protocols those stores use when hiring new employees. For example, at Tops Friendly Markets, information on eligible items and how the coupon solution operates is included in the training manual Tops gives to it's employees at participating stores. This ensures all employees who are new to the stores are trained adequately regarding how the program works and how to communicate the program to SNAP shoppers. Our staff also worked to create "Cashier Alerts", which are sent out to cashiers as an additional informational document prior to launching DUFBM at that location. All farmers market managers are mandated to attend a season kick-off training/webinar. Topics covered include: How Double Up Food Bucks works at Farmers Markets Updates to the program (reporting, communications, technology options, etc) Discussion groups to share best practices, issues and solutions, and general networking Website Resource Portal Review: resources such as spreadsheets for logging and tracking SNAP customers, sales, and other metrics are all provided as templates for market managers to use. Links to training materials, signage, and additional information is also provided via the Market Manager Portal on the Double Up Food Bucks New York website. Conferences: Field & Fork Network has attended numerous conferences, including the EBT Integration conference held in Boston. Field & Fork Network also presented on DUFB at the Food Pantries of the Capital District conference and event attended by food access and food systems partners from across New York. The presentation was focused on the reach and impacts of nutrition incentive programs, and Double Up Food Bucks specifically. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Surveys: Surveys are currently being collected. Our goal is to conduct 200 surveys. Surveys were amended to include specific questions around interoperability and sent to strategically determined locations. These areas include counties such as Columbia County, where 4 separate locations all utilize the loyalty card technology and are in proximity to each other. Other areas of loyalty card density include Buffalo and Syracuse. We have also partnered with the New York State Department of Health CDC State Physical and Nutrition project. This project aims to enhance and expand both Produce Prescription and Nutrition Incentive programs. As such, we have completed a thorough Landscape Assessment mapping the presence, impacts, barriers, and solutions of both nutrition incentive and produce prescription projects across the state. It is our intent to publish this report and host webinars to disseminate the findings. ARC (Cornell University Action Research Collaborative)has presented their grocery research findings, entitled "Barriers and Motivators for Stakeholders Implementing Grocery Store Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Programs," via a poster presentation at the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) in Knoxville, TN. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the upcoming reporting period, our primary goal will be to expand our network of grocery stores, with a particular emphasis on entering new counties. We have been working diligently to build our pipeline of prospective grocery store partners. The introduction of new, user-friendly point-of-sale solutions is significantly enhancing the scalability of the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) program. Among these advancements is a partnership with Catalina Coupon Company, which is helping us extend our reach within a major grocery chain in New York State. Additionally, we are collaborating with point-of-sale companies like RORC/DUMAC, which has been actively promoting the program to its extensive network of brick-and-mortar clients throughout the state. These efforts are paving the way for new opportunities and supporting the continued growth of DUFB. As we continue to grow, we are also focused on ensuring we maintain contact with Double Up Food Bucks customers. We are doing this by revamping our website, increasing our social media presence, hiring Americorps VISTAs for outreach, and creating robust mailing lists to ensure SNAP shoppers are as informed as possible about the Double Up Food Bucks program. We do not foresee any major issues that will keep us from exceeding our goals. However, we have been slightly delayed from expanding as quickly as we would like due to delays in technology development and delays in coordination with key integration partners. For example, we have been working with a cooperative market in northern New York that cannot create an internal loyalty system until their computers are upgraded. This upgrade has taken several months to accomplish and has delayed our initial launch schedule. These issues do come up regularly and we work consistently to facilitate and aid in communications that help move the process along. ? One challenge we're encountering is the rising cost of using EPIC Technology's Fresh Incentives Loyalty Card program. As our program expands, the expenses associated with maintaining this loyalty card technology have become unsustainable. To address this, we've developed a plan to gradually shift away from covering the full cost of this technology. While some of our larger sites will continue using the Fresh Incentives Card, the cost will now be the responsibility of the individual sites. We're working closely with EPIC to ensure that the pricing is transparent and manageable for these sites. Recognizing that many smaller sites may not be able to afford this, we explored alternative solutions. Our Double Up Food Bucks team consulted with other GusNIP nutrition incentive programs and our own sites, and conducted extensive research on cost-effective technology options. Among the limited options that met our criteria, Credibles--a 50% off instant discount model available through a simple app--stood out. We plan to transition to the Credibles discount solution in September 2024. We acknowledge that this represents a significant shift in our operations, and further details are provided in the next section of this report.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
EXPANSION INTO GROCERY STORES DUFB continues to grow quickly into grocery store locations. We have added an additional 17 new grocery stores this year, bringing our total number of grocery locations up to 39. These grocery store locations consist namely of mid-sized independent stores, small regional chain grocery stores (10 stores or less), and a medium chain grocery that has over 200 locations spread across the state of the NY. We have also started working with Albertsons, a large chain grocer, although they have a limited number of stores in NYS under their "ACME" banner. We have been fortunate to forge a strong relationship with a couple of chain grocery store locations in the region. We also have a growing list of over 40 prospective grocery stores and are poised to scale our efforts even more in the upcoming year. Of these, several have more than one location, further paving the way for increased expansion in this category. These partnerships will allow us to further enhance our impacts by strategically growing in areas of the state where there are few other options for SNAP shoppers to access fresh produce utilizing their benefits. INTEROPERABILITY and FRESH INCENTIVES LOYALTY CARD TECHNOLOGY Field & Fork Network continues to innovate and work with our partners to provide high-tech incentive solutions. One of our largest Farmers Market partners (Clinton-Bailey Farmers Market) continues to use the Fresh Incentives loyalty card program, giving us a great case study for how the program works at a large market over time. In total, we now have 28 locations using Fresh Incentives: 14 Brick & Mortar Sites 4 Farmers Markets 6 Farm Stands 4 Mobile Markets We are currently working with our third-party evaluator, The Action Research Collaborative, out of Cornell University, to dig deep into the data to provide a report studying the impacts of interoperability. We have also added specific questions to our most recent GusNIP survey to include questions related to interoperability. This information will be vital in giving us a deeper understanding of how and where customers are using their interoperable loyalty cards. IN-STORE LOYALTY PROGRAMS We have grown from 7 to 11 grocery sites using in-store loyalty technology during this reporting period. All of these locations represent independently owned grocers or co-ops. In-store loyalty programs continue to part of our growth in grocery stores in the upcoming year. We continue to work with POS companies such as RORC/DUMAC and LOC/ECRS and the National Grocers Association Foundation to ensure these technologies are accessible and affordable for our partners.Among the stores added using in-store loyalty programs, GreenStar Coop has four locations, all located in Tompkins County. These represent the first grocery locations where DUFB is accessible in that county. EXPANSION GOALS With the addition of 8 new counties in this reporting period, we are now operating in 35 counties across the state. We can also note that we did lose 3 counties this year, as a couple of Farmers Markets opted not to participate in the program. However, this meets our goal of being in 35 counties, with more on the horizon. Given the partnerships with new grocery chains and the ability to operate DUFB at these locations in a scalable way, we will continue to expand the program across the state into new counties, while also meeting more of the need in counties we currently operate in.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached for this grant period consisted of SNAP shoppers in both new and existing counties across NYS regarding the implementation of Double Up Food Bucks. Over the course of the reporting period, we have grown to include 21 new markets (combined Farm Direct and Brick & Mortar) across 5 new counties in the state. These markets and counties represent a significant growth in program reach and impact on SNAP shoppers in the state. New Counties this reporting period Individuals using SNAP Food Insecurity Rate Cortland 5,828 9.7% Nassau 43,255 4.4% St. Lawrence 13,846 11.8% Steuben 11,857 10.3% Washington 6,797 9.7% ?(Information gathered from June 2023 SNAP Usage Data from New York Office of Temporary Disability and Assistance: https://otda.ny.gov/resources/caseload/) Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training: All new sites were trained via a meeting with F&FN program staff prior to launching the program. F&FN staff also attend the launch of the program to provide hands-on training and support where necessary. Training involves: What is Double Up Food Bucks (staff presentations and/or direct manager training) Technology training for Fresh Incentives if necessary Metrics to be tracked and how to report, how reimbursement work/payment cadence, etc. All farmers market managers are mandated to attend a season kick-off training/webinar. Topics covered include: How Double Up Food Bucks works at Farmers Markets Updates to the program (reporting, communications, technology options, etc) Discussion groups to share best practices, issues and solutions, and general networking Conferences: Field & Fork Network staff attended both the GusNIP Regional Mini-Convening in Philadelphia, as well as the GusNIP National Convening in Washington D.C. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Surveys Surveys are collected from the Double Up Food Bucks participants as part of GusNIP program requirement. The surveys are shared with our 3rd party evaluation team and the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition. This year, we have collected over 400 surveys in Qualtrics, representing a wide range of Double Up Food Bucks program users across the state. We are working with the Gretchen Swanson Center to conduct a separate survey outside of GusNIP to specifically focus on first time users of Double Up Food Bucks. This study was started in early August of 2023 and will wrap up in March of 2024. Annual Report Field & Fork Network creates an annual impact report and shares this report with senators, assembly members, stakeholders, the Doubleupnys.com website, and through our social media channels. Qualitative Studies led by our 3rd party Evaluation Team at Action Research Collaborative: Grocery Store Initial Research Overview: This research project aims to understand facilitators and barriers to utilizing fruit and vegetable incentives in grocery stores. In this program, a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) grocery store customer purchases produce with their benefits (EBT) at certain grocery stores and receives matching Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) incentive dollars redeemable only for the purchase of fruits and vegetables. To understand areas for improvement in the implementation of the program, we have interviewed grocery store employees and Field & Fork staff all involved in the DUFB grocery store program in western and central New York. Interviewees were recruited through email. Recruitment began in February 2023 and is ongoing. All interviews are conducted through Zoom and are about 60 minutes long. As of September 2023, we have interviewed 12 grocery store managers from 6 grocery stores and 5 Field & Fork staff members. In the grocery store interviews, managers discussed dedication to the DUFB program and felt it aligned with their store's values in increasing access to fruits and vegetables for lower-income populations. Some managers also discussed how they appreciated the different types of Point-of-sale (POS) systems to allow DUFB to run in different grocery stores. Interviewees also acknowledged program challenges such as time constraints at the register (both for customers and grocery store clerks). Investing in technology that can assist in streamlining the process of redeeming EBT, redeeming DUFB, and/or saving up DUFB in a single transaction may help to improve implementation of the DUFB program. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we will be focusing on growing our network of grocery stores, with a particular focus on the continued expansion into new counties. We have been working diligently to increase the number of prospective grocery stores in our queue. We have done this through partnerships (examples include the American Heart Association and the National Grocers Foundation, United Way) as well as through word of mouth. As our program continues to grow and expand, more stores and farmers markets are reaching out to us with an interest in the program. Increased efficiency through tech solutions such as the in-store loyalty programs and Fresh Incentives, are allowing us to overcome tech barriers (such as the lack of a sophisticated point-of-sale system) that might have prevented us from opening at that location in the past. As we continue to grow, we are also focused on ensuring we maintain contact with Double Up Food Bucks customers. We are doing this by revamping our website, increasing our social media presence, hiring Americorps VISTAs for outreach, and creating robust mailing lists to ensure SNAP shoppers are as informed as possible about the Double Up Food Bucks program. We are confident that we will be able to meet the goals set forth in this proposal, and do not foresee any major issues that will keep us from attaining those goals.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
EXPANSION INTO GROCERY STORES We have added an additional 4 grocery stores this year, bringing our total number of grocery stores up to 22. We also have an additional list of 14 new grocery stores and are poised to scale our efforts even more in the upcoming year. Of these 14 stores, several have more than one location, further paving the way for increased expansion in this category. FRESH INCENTIVES LOYALTY CARD TECHNOLOGY Field & Fork Network continues to innovate and work with our partners to provide high-tech incentive solutions. In this reporting period, we have started operationalized Fresh Incentives at: 4 new Brick & Mortar locations 1 new Farmers Market 3 new Farm Stands 2 new Mobile Markets Additionally, one of our largest Farmers Market partners (Clinton-Bailey Farmers Market) continues to use the Fresh Incentives loyalty card program, giving us a great case study for how the program works at a large market over time. In total, we now have 28 locations using Fresh Incentives: 11 Brick & Mortar Sites 6 Farmers Markets 6 Farm Stands 5 Mobile Markets INTEROPERABILITY It's worth noting that we have seen an increase in interoperability for customers using loyalty card technology. Of particular note, several of our newer markets using Fresh Incentives have been in Columbia County. As such, we now work with 4 stores, all within driving distance, that utilize the Fresh Incentives loyalty card, ensuring customers can earn and redeem at any of those locations. IN-STORE LOYALTY PROGRAM We continue to work with 7 Brick & Mortar sites using in-store loyalty technology. We also worked this year to transition one of our stores from a 50% percent off model to being an internal loyalty earn and redeem model. This ensured that their program operated in the same way as our other Double Up partners, and this has been a successful transition thus far. In-store loyalty programs will be a large part of our growth in grocery stores in the upcoming year as well, as we continue to work with POS companies such as DUMAC, ECRS, LOC, and the National Grocers Association Foundation to ensure these technologies are accessible and affordable for our partners. We currently have 4 stores in our queue that will be launching with in-store loyalty technology in early 2024. EXPANSION GOALS With the addition of 5 new counties this reporting period, we are now operating in 32 counties across the state. Given the number of grocery stores in our queue, we will meet our goal of being in 34 counties.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The Double Up Food Bucks NY program is available to anyone receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assitance Program (SNAP) benefits. We track the following metrics with results to date below: Month/Year SNAP Sales Double Up Distributed SNAP Transactions Double Up Transactions # Of New Customers SNAP Redeemed Double Up Redeemed DU Redemption Rate Oct-20 $ 88,450.26 $ 49,220.37 4,243 2,898 617 $ 67,693.00 $ 49,829.07 101% Nov-20 $ 91,834.79 $ 13,675.65 3,026 2,399 487 $ 75,339.00 $ 11,627.66 85% Dec-20 $ 72,189.16 $ 10,142.42 2,319 1,823 125 $ 58,729.00 $ 9,850.66 97% Jan-21 $ 74,382.49 $ 11,845.33 2,620 2,155 277 $ 2,392.45 $ 10,569.65 89% Feb-21 $ 73,317.03 $ 13,862.78 2,684 1,785 - $ 57,666.39 $ 12,064.28 87% Mar-21 $ 89,118.07 $ 15,508.98 3,064 2,045 1599 $ 89,118.00 $ 14,143.08 91% Apr-21 $ 90,068.55 $ 15,039.95 3,211 2,431 495 $ 89,817.00 $ 13,871.70 92% May-21 $ 104,435.38 $ 18,669.18 3955 2707 531 $ 104,235.88 $ 14,947.19 80% Jun-21 $126,188.49 $18,648.31 5,707 2,839 595 $ 29,456.00 $16,728.82 90% Jul-21 $ 141,963.16 $ 51,757.70 5976 3936 942 $ 111,612.80 $ 41,347.19 80% Aug-21 $ 79,218.90 $ 48,997.52 3357 2918 1013 $ 72,189.72 $ 48,691.00 99% Sep-21 $ 243,860.27 $ 68,834.04 12873 9164 1875 $ 242,558.16 $ 54,871.75 80% Oct-21 $ 273,684.71 $ 66,405.86 13993 5530 1014 $ 271,803.89 $ 68,941.83 104% Nov-21 $ 199,623.97 $ 28,604.89 7333 3331 624 $ 5,090.50 $ 32,648.56 114% Dec-21 $ 114,853.08 $ 19,666.66 912 2320 371 $ 105,285.15 $ 15,144.31 77% Jan-22 $ 190,360.25 $ 30,024.60 8631 4010 481 $ 230,644.15 $ 24,132.65 80% Feb-22 $ 265,664.54 $ 33,338.90 8335 3590 524 $ 256,594.83 $ 26,457.93 79% Mar-22 $ 307,218.68 $ 41,676.23 13713 4319 624 $ 266,579.50 $ 32,798.85 79% Apr-22 $ 284,630.40 $ 38,293.50 10389 4606 670 $ 273,114.70 $ 32,381.40 85% May-22 $ 308,196.55 $ 45,817.38 11598 5111 770 $ 307,635.48 $ 37,806.34 83% Jun-22 $ 279,760.13 $ 55,970.92 12003 5834 913 $ 338,163.82 $ 45,893.89 82% Jul-22 $ 305,060.30 $ 99,485.94 13766 9587 1287 $ 269,613.55 $ 89,664.99 90% Totals: $ 3,804,079.16 $ 795,487.11 153708 85338 15834 $ 3,325,332.97 $ 704,412.80 88% Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Field & Fork offers annual trainings for seasonal market managers, and trains and onboards the staff of all new retail locations on an individual basis. Field & Fork Network also implemented program site affinity calls- where managers from all sites can join to network and talk about programmatic successes, sticking points, and provide feedback to staff. Field & Fork Network hosts partner affinity calls as well--where likeminded organizations from across the state can come together to share ideas and best practices. This year, Field & Fork Network will employ a cashier engagement plan to ensure that the staff at stores with high turnover remain informed of and engaged with the program. This will include in-person training and toolkits to be shared with grocery sites. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Field & Fork Network has contracted with an independent evaluation firm, CCNY, Inc. CCNY conducts qualitative evaluation in the form of surveys, interviews, and focus groups. CCNY creates an annual program report each year for Field & Fork Network using their findings from qualitative measures and from Field & Fork's quantitative, site level data. This robust program report is then used to create more general reports for the public. These summaries are shared with the public via the program website and social media and are shared with lawmakers and stakeholders as a part of Field & Fork Network's advocacy work. Going forward, Field & Fork Network will be partnering with the Action Research CollaborativeEvaluation team from Cornell University. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period we aim to expand the program into at least 5 additional counties. Program expansion will focus on the implementation of interoperable loyalty card technology in retail settings. The program will be implemented into at least 10 new small-retail and grocery locations, with a high concentration of these sites located in the Capital Region and in Westchester County. We will work to identify new programs sites based on Point of Sale systems that have existing solutions for the program, including: LOC, ECRS, NCR, Co-POS and STCR. We will be working with Catalina. Additionally, we will be working with Catalina Marketing to create a Double Up Food Bucks solution that will work in stores that are currently supported by Catalina. This solution will eliminate the need for a SNAP shopper to sign up for the program, and will drastically increase the number of grocery locations that we will be able to work with. The Catalina solution will pilot at a Price Chopper location in Schenectady County.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In the 2021- 2022 project year, the program launched at 82 new locations in New York State. The program expanded into 7 new counties, bringing the current footprint to 30 NYS counties. These new sites include: 44 mobile market locations, 5 farm stands, 26 farmers markets, and 8 grocery locations. Most of these locations use interoperable loyalty card technology through the Fresh Incentives Application. The program launched at 2 new grocery stores (Honest Weight Co-op in Albany, Greater Good Grocery in Binghamton,) using a new technology for the Field & Fork team--the LOC Fresh Incentives Module. Haven For Humanity in Livingston Manor and Can Stop Redemption Center in Troy launched using interoperable loyalty card technology. The Chatham Real Food Market Co-op launched using an in-store loyalty program created by POS company Co-POS. Two Co-op stores in Syracuse, NY launched using the ECRS Catapult Loyalty Bot. Physical tokens were used at most farmers markets where SNAP tokens were also used.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Currently, Double Up Food Bucks is operating in all four targeted New York State regions--Western New York, Central New York, the Adirondacks, and Eastern New York, and in 20 of the 35 targeted counties. 141 sites (including 60 new sites) are operating in the targeted communities, reaching an estimated 6,576 new users this reporting period. In the targeted areas, most participants identified as female (74 percent) and white (74 percent) with smaller proportions identifying as black/African American (5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3%), or other (10%). Field & Fork Network's program implementation in the target communities has been coupled with targeted community partnerships. Field & Fork Network's outreach strategy is a "train-the-trainer" approach with key community-based organization partners and program affiliates. They have held multiple community outreach Double Up signup days for new and existing loyalty card users. Field & Fork Network staff have done outreach presentations at Broadway Market's Commercial Kitchen, Department of Social Services, Evergreen Community Health, Buffalo's Healthy Corner Store Initiative, FeedMore WNY, Independent Health's Good for the Neighborhood Events, Jericho Road Community Health Center, Peace Action Group, Parent Network of Western New York, Groundwork Market Garden and Eat Smart New York (nutrition educators). Changes/Problems:Like the rest of the country, Field & Fork Network and communities across New York have been navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of this adaptation, Field & Fork Network created a process for training and launching new loyalty card sites virtually in 2020, and has streamlined the process throughout 2021. One common issue we've found in New York and elsewhere is that some farmers are resistant to change, particularly when it involves technology. Field & Fork Network estimates that about half of their farmer/vendor population does not use technology in their farm businesses; thus it has been a challenge to put farmers/vendors at ease regarding the new technology. However, Field & Fork Network is getting very positive feedback from market managers regarding the amount of time they will save with the new app technology, both in reimbursement to farmers and in the removal of the need to count tokens. Farmers have also given feedback that they enjoy the ability to see their sales reports in real time. In late 2020 and early 2021, many of the tablets Field & Fork Network had been using to run the Fresh Incentives Application seemed to slow down and reach the end of their shelf life, creating a slow and clunky experience for the application user. Field & Fork Network invested in 60 new tablets, which has significantly increased the app's processing speeds. Field & Fork Network also actively encourages sites to operate under a "Bring Your Own Device" model--so that store owners and vendors can operate the Fresh Incentive Application on their own, familiar devices. Navigating Point of Sale Technology to successfully implement the program has been a major obstacle, as well. Field & Fork Network has partnered with National Grocers Association Foundation to identify sites whose Point of Sale systems can easily integrate with the program's requirements. Field & Fork Network has participated in conversations with Point of Sale provider RORC/DUMAC to create a program solution for their Point of Sale devices. Epic Technology Solutions has created module solutions for the LOC point of sale system so that the interoperable loyalty card technology can be implemented at LOC stores. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Below is a list of professional development opportunities the Double Up Food Bucks team participated in during the project period 1. Nutrition Incentive Practitioner Convening (Spring 2021) Fair Food Network -- Nutrition Incentive HUB This event is geared toward organizations implementing nutrition incentive programs, including SNAP incentives and produce prescriptions. We know that geographies, customer demographics, and local agriculture vary across programs, as do the underlying organization and partnership structures that bring these programs to life. Over these two days, we collaboratively shine a light on best practices, common challenges, and innovative ideas in order to drive the field forward Nutrition Incentive HUB Webinars The Big Picture of SNAP/EBT Processing and Technology: April 8, 4-5pm EST - learn more about the world of federal and state level EBT processing and technology (hosted by FMC) Nutrition Incentive Hub Core Services: April 20, 2-3pm EST - curious to understand more about what the Hub is up to, and how it can support you goals? Join us to learn about what we have in store, and to offer ideas for continued development Webinar: IRB Guidance for Data Collection and Evaluation - May 15, 2-3 pm EDT - What is an IRB? Why is it necessary? This webinar for PPR and SI grantees will provide an overview of IRB requirements and structure, guidance for grantees in finding and working with local IRBs, human subjects training, and steps for completing an IRB application. Growing Your Grassroots: Employing Local Community Leaders for SNAP and Incentive Outreach Webinar - Friday, June 5th 1:30pm ET - Learn how to engage community members with outreach, promotion, and education for your market's nutrition incentive program. Hear about two different programs: FreshLink Ambassadors and Food Navigators, that employ community members to spread the word about how to access fresh, healthy, locally grown food. Offered by Farmers Market Coalition. Healthy Corner Stores: response to COVID-19 and Emerging Best Practices - Wednesday July 1, 4-5pm ET - Join the Healthy Food Access Portal and The Food Trust's Center for Healthy Food Access to learn about how healthy corner store programming across the country has shifted in response to COVID-19, and what emerging best practices are being used to assist store owners. Moderated by The Food Trust's Juan Vila. Nutrition Incentives in Rural Communities - Thursday, July 9, 1-2pm ET - Operating a nutrition incentive program in a rural community features unique complexities and opportunities. Hear from experts with rich experience working in rural settings on what they see as the challenges and leverage points; as well as from practitioners who are leading effective programs in their own communities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Field & Fork Network regularly uses social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) to provide updates to followers. Annual program reports are created and disseminated each year--the 2020 annual report is currently under production. Press releases are sent out regularly to media contacts, announcing new locations, RFA deadlines, and noteworthy changes to the program. · Double Up Food Bucks Nearly Doubles its Summer Seasonal Markets Across New York State https://fieldandforknetwork.com/double-up-food-bucks-2021-summer-market-season/ · Double Up Food Bucks Request for Applications https://doubleupnys.com/become-a-double-up-food-bucks-site-2021/ · Lexington Co-op Thrives on its Love for Local https://progressivegrocer.com/lexington-co-op-thrives-its-love-local · Nutrition Incentives for New Yorkers In Need New York State Health Foundation https://nyshealthfoundation.org/resource/nutrition-incentives-for-new-yorkers-in-need/?utm_source=Nutrition%20Incentive%20Brief%20Sept%202019&utm_campaign=Nutrition%20Incentive%20Brief%20Sept%202019&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwAR0aJFw2tybltNNbZlfVMTBRGy6ExlLIHKSa2R2K_YPvgePXJqujtb cR9LY Double Up Food Bucks Five Year Program Report Field & Fork Network https://doubleupnys.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/DoubleUp5yrreport-finaldigv.links_.pdf What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Field & Fork Network will work specifically with locally ownedand operatedgroceryoutlets thattarget food insecurity in their communities. Bargain Grocery, in Utica, NY,is a local grocery store dedicated to serving the community by offering fresh, healthy food at an affordable priceby partnering with local vendors to buy food that is overproduced and receiving donations from companiesthen selling the product at a low price. Their model has shown to increase the buying power of SNAP users by over 30%. Greater Good Grocery store in Binghamton, New York,is modeled after Bargain Grocery and uses their supply chainto reach the food-insecure neighborhood surrounding Binghamton's North Side, where about 50% of residents live in poverty, including 65% of children.The City of Syracuse is one of the top 10 poorest places to live in the United States.The Brady Market, in Syracuse's Near West Side, is focused on catering to its food-insecure neighborsby providing food from its satellite farm project(Brady Farm), local food distributors, and local farmers.The store offers classes to the community in health and nutrition to work to reduce health disparities caused by chronic stress, trauma, and lack of equitable food access.Dash's Markets, a small, Buffalo-based chain of5grocery stores is working to combat food insecurity in Erie County, with afocusthe University Heights neighborhood, one of the most food insecure areas in the city. Dash's works to offer food from local growers at lower pricesand is working to increase accessibility offood to low-income shoppers who face transportation issues by offering the ability to process SNAP transactions online. By working withindependent grocers, whose missionsare geared specifically towards providing food-insecure membersin their neighborhoods with increased affordability and access to healthy food, Double Up Food Bucks will have a stronger impact--residents will be empowered to be able to shop at the grocery outlets nearest to them and make the healthy choices necessary to affect dietary change. Field & Fork Network also plans to bring the Double Up Food Bucks program to the territories of the Seneca Nation of Indians. The Seneca Nationis working torestore health and well-being to their population through the Food is Our Medicine project, which worksto increasegrowth of and access to traditional, healthyfoodsto work towards positive health outcomesand intends to incorporate the DUFB program into this work.In the next reporting period, Field & Fork Network will implement the Double Up Food Bucks program at retail and Farmers Market outlets on the Seneca Nation territoriesto further increase affordability and access to theculturally appropriate, healthy foods that many Seneca diets are lacking. Field & Fork Network will continue to partner with Epic Technology to expand the footprint of the existing interoperable Loyalty Card Technology. The program will be implemented at Honest Weight Co-op in Albany, Bargain Grocery in Utica, Brady Market in Syracuse, and Greater Good Grocery in Binghamton and Hawley Market in Syracuse using the interoperable technology.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In project period 1 (2021), Double Up Food Bucks operated at 141 sites in the target project area and 180 sites overall. These sites include 5 farm stands, 28 farmers markets, 93 mobile market locations, and 15 small retail/grocery locations. The program was implemented into four new retail locations using interoperable Loyalty Card technology, and significant progress has been made towards launching the program at an additional 12 grocery locations. Field & Fork Network has worked with the National Grocers Association Foundation, with Fair Food Network, and with Epic Technology Solutions to identify and contract with these 12 sites, who use Point of Sale Technology where the Double Up program can be easily implemented. The interoperable loyalty card technology has been implemented at 20 locations in the target communities, with contracts signed at an additional 3 grocery locations. From September 2020 to August 2021, the program resulted in $315,535.53 earned and $239,165.50 spent in Double Up Food Bucks in the target communities, for a 75.7% redemption rate. Field & Fork Network held market manager training sessions and five retail training sessions, some of which were available in webinar format so that the trainings could be more flexible and accessible to participants. They executed on-site assessments at all market sites for Wi-Fi capabilities and to evaluate signage needs and facilitated in-person community sign-up days, produce giveaways, and cooking classes with local partners to encourage new and existing Double Up participants to use the loyalty card. Field & Fork Network also facilitated a mid-season market manager community of practice conversation so that program sites could connect with one another and share best practices to maximize program effectiveness.
Publications
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