Progress 08/01/23 to 07/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The SNAP Stretch program serves the target audiences of low-income families, seniors and Grandfamilies, and rural populations. Programs supported by GusCRR funds have operated in 35 counties. 1. Low-Income Individuals and Families using SNAP Benefits Families with children: Households with children are key beneficiaries, as SNAP Stretch doubles their benefits when purchasing fruits and vegetables, encouraging healthier eating habits. Single adults: The program matches their SNAP dollars, making it more affordable to buy nutritious foods. Seniors and Grandfamilies (Seniors Raising Grandchildren): Seniors benefit receive a 2:1 match of SNAP Ebt dollars. This prioritization reflects both their economic vulnerability and the critical role they often play in supporting grandchildren. West Virginia ranks 2nd in the nation for the number of seniors raising grandchildren. 2. Local Grocers and Farmers Markets The program promotes shopping at local markets, grocers, and participating retailers, driving traffic and economic support to these businesses, reinforcing the connection between food access and local economies. 3. Health-Conscious Consumers in Underserved Areas SNAP Stretch aligns with broader efforts to address food deserts and nutrition insecurity, ensuring that consumers in underserved areas have improved access to healthy foods, like fresh produce. 4. Non-Profit Partners and Social Service Organizations The program collaborates with non-profits, state agencies, and institutions focused on nutrition education, food access, and public health, ensuring SNAP users are aware of and enrolled in the program. Changes/Problems:The SNAP Stretch Program in West Virginia faces several challenges that impact its implementation and sustainability. One key hurdle is securing consistent match funding to maintain and expand the program with federal program dollars, as it relies on foundation investments and state budget allocations. Up to this point, the state of West Virginia has been hesitant to provide a line item for the SNAP Stretch program. As a result, the SNAP Stretch program was put on pause at the end of June 2024 due to the GusNIP and GusCRR incentives budgets being depleted. The greatest challenge has been raising match funding to re-apply for a new GusNIP grant. Markets reported a decline in customer participation during the end of the summer of 2023, attributed in part to the reduction in supplemental benefits for SNAP recipients, including cuts to P-EBT benefits for families with school-aged children. Additionally, long-term firm retention has been a challenge. Some markets have cited insufficient economic benefits from managing SNAP Stretch as a reason for discontinuing the program, while others point to challenges such as staff turnover or the lack of adequate staffing to effectively administer the program. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Coalition Staff took advantage of many opportunities for additional training and professional development in FY24. The Coalition's SNAP Stretch Coordinator focused training and development efforts on EBT and POS technology, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and grant writing: August 1, 2023 - Organizational Cultural Audit Webinar which focused on fostering equity and trauma-informed practices involves a structured review of internal behaviors, processes, and attitudes along with learning to recognize the signs of trauma, respond with empathy, and create a supportive environment for colleagues and program participants. December 7, 2023 EBT Integration Webinar learning about the process of having nutrition incentive benefits earned and redeemed on a shopper's EBT/ SNAP card. April 23, 2024 - Online EBT Webinar (Hosted by Epic and Local Farms Marketplace) showcasing how Local Farms Marketplace has developed an online EBT platform, including key features and services, a short demo, timeline, and next steps! April 25, 2024 - POS Technology Webinar where SNAP Stretch Coordinator learned about POS technology options. June 3-5, 2024 - FRAC - National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference where over a thousand anti-hunger advocates joined together from across the country to attend content-rich sessions, learn legislative best practices, explore innovative advocacy methods, and form personal connections to help better fight hunger in their communities. In December 2023, the Executive Director, Director of Program Development and Evaluation, and Director of Operations attended the USDA'S Community Nutrition Meeting in New Orleans where they networked with other GUSNIP grantees, met with Federal Nutrition Incentive Program Staff, and attended workshops on award management, reporting, audit requirements, project changes and prior approval, and federal requirement in regards to disclosing lobbying activities. Beginning in March 2024, the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition (WVFFC) contracted a communications professor/director to provide professional development for the Coalition's Communications Coordinator. The 12 one-hour sessions were structured to cover Marketing, Communications, and Elements of Design, focusing on strengthening the Coordinator's skills in graphic design, media advocacy, and event marketing to enhance their role in developing outreach plans for SNAP Stretch sites. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Coalition has an active presence on social media and continually updates participants and supporters via a monthly newsletter. These communications feature success stories of participants and accomplishments of the coalition. The coalition makes use of tools such as the Nutrition Incentive Hub's Y4 Impact study, GusNIP NTAE Nutrition Incentive Economic Impact Calculator and photos submitted by firms to populate these posts and newsletters. SNAP Stretch was the subject of numerous articles due to the program being paused due to a lack of funding. The articles gained a swell of support from people in the communities being served, and inspired a positive response from legislators who have pledged program support. In 2023, the Coalition developed a whitepaper outlining the impact and ongoing needs of the SNAP Stretch program, distributing it alongside a one-pager to funders and stakeholders. The Coalition also raises awareness by distributing SNAP Stretch materials while tabling at various events throughout the year. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The Coalition will be closing out the GusCRR grant in coming months, however, the work in providing nutrition incentives across West Virginia will continue. To secure additional funding, the Coalition will continue encouraging firms to seek supplemental resources from city and county funds and local philanthropists. Conversations are underway with health funders across the state to secure investments in this essential program. The Coalition also plans on applying for a GusNIP grant in Spring of 2025. ?
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: The popularity of SNAP Stretch among markets seeking to draw new customers has continued to grow. Two new firms were added to the program in FY 24. Another 13 markets have expressed interest in becoming participating markets when funding to sustainably expand the program is available. The Coalition provided technical assistance to 15 markets seeking FNS authorization, and one market seeking reauthorization. Five markets proceeded with the application process and obtained FNS authorization. Four of those markets will offer SNAP Stretch when funding is once again available. Goal 2: In FY24 GusCRR provided $53,247.12 of SNAP Stretch incentives for the purchase of fruits and vegetables at participating markets to SNAP recipients. An additional $272,163.94 in incentives provided by GusNIP, and other grants, were redeemed. According to the Nutrition Incentive Hub's Economic Impact Calculator, in FY24, SNAP Stretch had a combined $509,507 economic impact in counties with participating markets, with $85,195 of that being directly attributable to GusCRR. The Coalition's GusNIP incentives budget was exhausted in October 2023. GusCRR, and other sources, allowed SNAP Stretch to continue operating through June 2024 before the program was paused. The Coalition will be closing out its GusNIP and GusCRR grants in the upcoming months. Goal 3: The partnership with West Virginia University FNP established in FY22, creating the Kids Market @ the Store (KM@TS) program, continued during FY24.The nutrition education program focuses on the family, and empowers children with the ability to make informed choices at the grocery store. It also serves as a way to use the "pester power" of children to engage whole families in using SNAP Stretch. Through the additional support provided by GusCRR and KM@TS, nutrition incentives were distributed in 43 of West Virginia's 55 counties in FY24
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Progress 08/01/22 to 07/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The Coalition continues to serve the target audiences of low-income families, seniors, and rural populations. Programs supported by GusCRR funds operate in 33 counties. Thirty of the counties served by the Coalition have poverty rates higher than the 11.6% national average, and ten have poverty rates higher than 20%. Changes/Problems:Markets reported customer participation being down through the summer of 2023. This is believed to be due to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which removed supplements added through emergency allotments due to COVID starting in March. The act also reduced the P-EBT benefits granted to those with children in school, regardless of income level. Long-term firm retention has also been a challenge. The reasons for this are varied. Some firms have reported not seeing enough economic benefit to continue managing SNAP Stretch at their market, while others have reported staff turnover, or lack of staff in general, as being an obstacle. ? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?June 6-8, 2023, two staff members attended the Nutrition Incentive Hub's 2023 National Convening in Washington D.C., where they interacted with other agencies managing nutrition incentive programs around the nation. Training sessions focused on innovations, reporting, sustainability, and tech solutions to managing a GusNIP program, and provided opportunities to discuss the practical application of those principles with others facing the same challenges.? How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The coalition has an active presence on social media and continually updates participants and supporters via a monthly newsletter. These communications feature success stories of participants and accomplishments of the coalition. The coalition makes use of tools such as the Nutrition Incentive Hub's Y3 Impact study, GusNIP NTAE Nutrition Incentive Economic Impact Calculator and photos submitted by firms to populate these posts and newsletters. An article was featured on the NIFA USDA website that highlighted the success of SNAP Stretch in West Virginia. Titled, 'GusNIP efforts Impacting Rural Communities - and Economies,' the article quotes participating families, and representatives from participating firms, about the impact the program has had on their lives and businesses. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The effort to increase the number of participating SNAP Stretch firms will build on accomplishments from FY23. The Coalition is involved in the creation of two separate markets that will be SNAP Stretch participants. The Blue 52 Market, a standalone market in conjunction with Blue Acre Aquaponics in the rural community of Kermit, West Virginia, will be completed, and opened, in FY24. A partnership project with Keep Your Faith Corporation, Miss Ruby's Market, will open in Charleston's West Side, a diverse neighborhood in West Virginia's capital city, in FY24 as well. Both markets will be SNAP Stretch locations. These projects are spearheaded by the Coalition's Rural Grocer Network Coordinator, whose salary is supplemented with GusCRR funds. In conjunction with WVU FNP the Coalition will evaluate KM@TS locations for SNAP Stretch viability and recruit where appropriate. The Coalition will also be working with a local DEI specialist to conduct a self-audit, DEI training, and outreach to identify minority-owned firms for the purpose of recruitment.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: Improving healthy food access by establishing a presence in new communities through the recruitment of markets to become SNAP Stretch firms continues to be a priority for the Coalition. Since the beginning of the connected GusNIP grant, 53 firms have participated in SNAP Stretch across 35 counties, and the number of participating firms has grown every year. This past year the Coalition obtained an NIH Capacity Building Grant that includes the goal of recruiting at least 5 new firms that are either BIPOC owned or serve BIPOC communities in 2024. The GusCRR grant has been crucial in the success of this ongoing effort. Goal 2: In FY23 an additional $62,648.15 in GusCRR funds were put directly into the hands of SNAP customers as SNAP Stretch incentives to be spent on fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets and corner stores. A total of $395,099.16 in SNAP Stretch incentives were issued to approximately 27,373 West Virginia homes. Goal 3: The partnership with WVU FNP established in FY22, creating the Kids Market @ the Store (KM@TS) program, resulted in 47 participating locations coming on board in 25 West Virginia counties. The nutrition education program focuses on the family, and empowers children with the ability to make informed choices at the grocery store. It also serves as a way to use the "pester power" of children to engage whole families in using SNAP Stretch. Through the additional support provided by GusCRR, KM@TS and SNAP Stretch programs touched 33 of West Virginia's 55 counties in FY23
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Progress 08/01/21 to 07/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The Coalition continues to serve the target audiences of low-income families and seniors, as well as those located in the most rural parts of the state. This is accomplished by partnering WVU FNP to put family-focused programs in high-need areas, such as placing the Kids Market @ the Store at the Go Growcery mobile market, which serves three of West Virginia's poorest counties. In FY22, the Coalition also expanded SNAP Stretch programming at firms that specifically serve families, such as the Doddridge Farmers Market where a monthly "Kids Market'' helped increase SNAP Stretch sales. Finally, the Coalition partnered with new and expanding mobile markets in the state's most rural counties such as Happy Farmers Market, which serves low-income populations over three different counties and, in part due to success with SNAP Stretch, recently expanded their market dates to cover 51 weeks of the year. Changes/Problems:Due to the unprecedented need and increased spending during the 2020 and 2021 market seasons, one current barrier to continued recruiting has been the limited funding available with which to do so. Participant demand has been high at currently participating markets, and the Coalition placed spending caps on all firms in 2022 to preserve the longevity of the program and allow for continued recruiting. However, many firms met their initial funding cap for the year before the end of market season, and even limited their advertising and community outreach out of concern for prematurely meeting their caps. Additionally, some interested new firms chose not to participate in the program due to concerns about limited funding. This is particularly pertinent to brick and mortar locations, who may be hesitant to begin the program with limited funding due to their longer hours and time of operation compared to farmers markets. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Program staff have had multiple opportunities, both in-person and online, to participate in training and professional development over the last year. Several staff were able to attend the 2022 National Grocers Association Conference as part of a cohort of federal grantees, where they learned more about the integration of nutrition incentives in the grocery store setting as well as available POS systems for independent grocers. Several staff from the Coalition also attended the 2022 Rural Grocery Summit presented by Kansas State Research and Extension. There, staff learned about current issues facing rural grocers and the Coalition's Community Placemaking Coordinator presented on increasing food access through rural grocery stores in West Virginia. Coalition staff have also had the opportunity to attend a plethora of online trainings and professional development opportunities, including the Nutrition Incentive Hub communities of practice, webinars from the Farmers Market Coalition on racial justice and best practices for markets, and the Food Systems Leadership Network's series of webinars on the Farm Bill. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results are shared with markets, stakeholders and program participants via email listserv and Facebook. In early 2022, one-page info sheets with statistics were created using 2021 program data and shared with community partners and state and local politicians to promote SNAP Stretch. These info sheets incorporated 2021 data about SNAP Stretch spending, SNAP/EBT dollars captured in the local economy, counties served, participating households and economic impact. Additional info sheets were created for each county to provide an at-a-glance review for senators and representatives from those areas. These materials, combined with flyers showcasing success stories and photos from participating markets, were also given to potential partners and funders to raise awareness of the program. ? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, the Coalition aims to increase firm recruiting by surveying communities about potential firms in their area and reaching out to recruit firms identified by staff and partners. This will also include offering TA to potential firms not yet accepting SNAP/EBT to assist them in that process, targeting counties for expansion that do not currently have any participating firms and working to streamline onboarding and reimbursement processes for all firms. In order to increase funding, the Coalition will continue current efforts to engage firms in pursuing funds from supplemental sources like city and county funds and local investors. The Coalition will also work with current firms to increase their SNAP/SNAP Stretch capacity by advertising to their communities and increasing their selections of fresh produce. To meet Goal 3, the Coalition and WVU FNP plan to work together to expand the reach of the Kids Market @ the Store (KM@TS) program to more sites and counties statewide. Additionally, during the next reporting period the Coalition will utilize FNP contacts to connect with previous KM@TS participants and work to integrate them into the SNAP Stretch program and the WV Rural Grocers Network.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: The Coalition continues to work to increase the number of participating SNAP Stretch firms in all categories. Since the beginning of the connected GusNIP grant, 45 firms have participated across 35 counties. This comprises 31 farmers markets and farm stands, 7 brick and mortar locations, 6 mobile markets and 1 CSA program. The Coalition continues to actively recruit firms in order to meet the firm goal outlined in the GusNIP grant, and additional funding from the GusCRR grant has been crucial in this process. Goal 2: Since the GusCRR grant was awarded, $211,134.98 in additional SNAP Stretch incentive dollars have been distributed, with 35,960 households served by the program in 2021 alone. Goal 3: In FY22, the Coalition partnered with the WVU FNP to offer Kids Market @ the Store (KM@TS) at the Go Growcery mobile market. The program was designed to serve as an educational opportunity for family nutrition as well as a way to use the "pester power" of children to engage whole families in utilizing SNAP Stretch. Interested families enrolled online and completed an enrollment survey to provide information on current fruit and vegetable consumption, after which they received tokens to spend at participating markets along with a reusable grocery bag and "produce passport". As the program continued through the end of August before wrapping with post-survey data collection, data and program outcomes will be shared in next year's progress report.
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