Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Oregon SNAP Participants During this period, we provided Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) SNAP incentives to a large cross section of SNAP participants across the state. DUFB Oregon has a variety of participating outlets in all regions of the state, and in urban, suburban, and rural communities. As of July 2024, there were approximately 768,000 SNAP recipients in Oregon. According to FY 2022 (Oct. 2021 through Sept. 2022) data from US Census Bureau, Oregon SNAP participants were 70% Non-Hispanic White, 5.7% Non-Hispanic Black, 7.6% Non-Hispanic Other, and 3.3% Hispanic, with 13.3% unknown. Optional demographic data collected from survey participants in 2023 by Oregon State University indicated DUFB program participants as 72% White, 5% more than one race, 3% Asian American and Pacific Islander, 2% American Indian, 2% Black, 3% other races, and 14% declined to answer or did not know. Of surveyed participants, 13% were Hispanic. Farmers Market Managers During the three year grant period, we reached managers from 100 different farmers markets in 27 of Oregon's 36 counties. According to a 2022 census conducted by the Oregon Farmers Markets Association which surveyed all farmers market managers in the state (including those who did not participate in DUFB), 90% self-identified as White while 10% identified as Asian American Pacific Islander, Latine, and/or BIPOC. 84% identified as female, 12% as male, and 4% as queer or nonbinary. The Oregon Farmers Markets Association, a sub-awardee, provided information about DUFB to 133 farmers market organizations in Oregon, and through them to their vendors and customers. This included providing over 30 markets with ongoing SNAP and DUFB technical assistance about EBT equipment, SNAP and DUFB currency options, recordkeeping and accounting, how to handle EBT and DUFB transactions, and other technical support. Of special focus are farmers markets starting SNAP programs for the first time, or markets with established programs who have a new market manager. Starting a SNAP program (or encountering it for the first time as new staff) is complicated due to the several levels of organizational capacity needed to understand applying for retailer authorization from FNS, getting EBT equipment, and setting up the internal systems to process SNAP payments and vendor reimbursements. Brick and Mortar Locations During the grant period, sub-awardees from the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) partnered with 42 brick and mortar sites in 26 of Oregon's 36 counties. In selecting participating brick and mortar locations preference was given to stores that were BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color) led, offered culturally specific goods and/or services, and rural retailers serving within food insecure communities (as determined by SNAP household demographic participation rates, USDA food access research atlas, and Map the Meal Gap, Opportunity Zone, datasets to assess regional make-up). Farmers During the grant period, sub-awardee Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (PNWCSA) worked with over 70 CSA farms in 16 Oregon counties. PNWCSA provided DUFB incentives to 1,475 food-insecure households in 103 cities throughout Oregon to purchase CSA shares from these farmers. DUFB Ambassadors Recruitment of Ambassador leaders centered on persons with lived experience and expertise, current and former SNAP participants, and representation of communities who most disproportionately experience hunger in Oregon: Black, Indigenous and all People of Color, immigrants and refugees, trans and gender-nonconforming individuals, and single mothers and caregivers. Evaluation Participants During the grant period, evaluation partners collected a total of 1,094 participant surveys, including 647 farmers market participants, 151 CSA participants, and 296 grocery participants. Participants were sampled from outlets throughout the state, from different regions, different levels of rurality/urbanity, and a variety of market sizes. Evaluation partners also collected qualitative data to identify successes and opportunities for improvement to maximize program benefits to all parties involved. Between 2021-2023, the OSU team conducted interviews or focus groups with 41 farmers market participants, 11 CSA participants, and 16 grocery participants, focusing on Latinx and BIPOC individuals, older adults, parents, and college students. They also collected interview data with 10 farmers market vendors, 22 farmers market managers, 25 grocery store coordinators and staff, and 7 CSA farmers. During the Y2 reporting period, they conducted extensive thematic analysis of these data to identify the benefits and barriers to participation in, as well as the factors that influence the successful implementation of, Double Up Food Bucks Oregon. Changes/Problems:Brick and Mortar Spend down of incentive funds from GusCRR was behind projections in the grant's first years. This is due to the availability of additional funding from the State of Oregon as well as the challenges with enrolling rural stores in the program. Rural stores partnerships with independent retailers were difficult to move forward in the first years of the grant, with particular challenges centered on the need for virtual and remote meetings and engagement during the Covid pandemic. Store owners reported difficulty prioritizing virtual engagement due to the necessity of addressing emergent and immediate needs at retail locations. Staffing challenges during and immediately after the pandemic also contributed to these challenges. OFB, however, was ultimately able to increase new stores beyond this grant's goal and prioritize spend down of GusCRR funds in the latter half of the three year grant period, exceeding their DUFB incentive redemption targets. CSA For the 2023 main growing season, PNW CSA modified the DUFB CSA program to more closely meet the needs of farmers and participants. CSA shares had evolved over the prior five years to include shares of all sizes and durations, and it no longer made sense to offer a tiered discount based on "large shares" (with a maximum $250 DUFB discount) vs. "small shares" (with a maximum $125 DUFB discount). As a result, PNW CSA moved to a 50% incentive model, in which CSA shares paid for with SNAP receive a $1 to $1 DUFB match up to the full share price. This new approach made the reimbursement program much more simple, increasing farmer and participant understanding. It also increased accessibility while making the program more equitable across all farmers and participants, and allowed farmers to adjust their share models to better suit their members' needs. This modification helped many more people become CSA members. The numbers of farms and of members paying with SNAP grew significantly in the second and third years of this grant, due in large part to this incentive model change. Program Evaluation OSU encountered difficulty early in the grant period with bots attacking the survey and with variable construction, particularly the fruit and vegetable consumption data. These problems have largely been resolved, but the resolution to bots reduced the ability to collect sufficient N from sites where in-person data collection by an evaluation team member was not feasible (e.g., grocery stores with small/infrequent transactions/participation). What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Farmers Markets FMF staff provided trainings annually to farmers market managers to better understand the impact of SNAP matching programs, how to properly administer SNAP and DUFB programs, and how best to interact with customers and vendors to implement DUFB. Training participants were also provided with recordkeeping and tracking tools to assist with program administration. FMF staff conducted annual information session webinars for farmers markets interested in applying for the Growth Grant, which provides farmers markets with funding for non-incentive expenses related to DUFB program implementation and promotion. This webinar provided a detailed review of program rules and eligibility, the application process, and recordkeeping requirements. FMF and OFMA also provided farmers markets access to multiple online resource hubs, including the following: Double Up Oregon Manager Hub, an extensive and comprehensive toolkit to assist in running SNAP and DUFB at markets, as well as promoting and growing the program in market communities. Growth Grant Resource Hub, which provides farmers markets awarded a DUFB Growth Grant with access to information on the program and resources for administration, recordkeeping, and financial tracking. Getting Started with SNAP Toolkit, which provides markets with recordings of OFMA's Farmers Market Manager Bootcamp workshops and Peer Learning Center events, along with various resources for operating SNAP programs at market. Regular ongoing technical assistance and mentoring was also provided to all farmers market staff. This included annual market visits to select markets to provide additional support and technical assistance, as well as to review recordkeeping and documentation standards and practices. All Farmers Market Fund staff attended in person the NTAE Nutrition Hub's National Convening in June 2023, providing all staff with professional development and learning opportunities through the convening's various sessions, plenaries, field trips, and networking opportunities. FMF staff have participating in other professional development opportunities, include NTAE communities of practice. Professional development for OFMA staff included peer exchange on providing SNAP/DUFB assistance with other market associations around the country; attending SNAP related webinars hosted by other states and organizations; and visiting farmers markets in Oregon and seeing their SNAP and DUFB systems in action. Brick and Mortar The 23 DUFB Ambassadors (2021- 2024) engaged in the following training and professional development activities: Double Up Food Bucks Oregon & Ambassador Program Orientation (led by OFB Organizer) May 2024 SNAP Access Training (led by 211Info) June 2024 Outreach Project Planning Training & Support Sessions (led by OFB Organizer) May-August 2024 Outreach Strategies Training (led by OFB Organizer) August 2024 Free resources, training and support provided through the Oregon Food Bank Community Partner Resource Library Individual Study: Skills in leading and conducting outreach events, public speaking, and networking reported by Ambassador participants Individual Study: Skills in strategic planning, effective execution, and adaptability to achieve DUFB objectives reported by Ambassador participants Double Up Food Bucks Program Training 101 (Introduction to DUFB Statewide Program) (led by OFB Organizer) January 2023 Virtual Meeting Space Training (led by OFB Organizer) January 2023 SNAP Access Training (led by 211Info) April 2023 Double Up food Bucks Program Training 201 (Farmers Market Season Kick off) May 2023 Food Systems Networking and Skill Building Convergence (May 2023) Nutrition Incentive Hub Webinar -Store Owner Voices: How Nutrition Incentives Help Small Businesses & Communities (July 2023) Food Finder Workshop (led by OFB Organizer) August 2023 Individual Study: Skills in leading and conducting outreach events, public speaking, and networking reported by Ambassador participants Individual Study: Skills in strategic planning, effective execution, and adaptability to achieve DUFB objectives reported by Ambassador participants DUFB staff participated in the following training and professional development opportunities: Equity, Food Banking and White Supremacy Culture (October 2023) Equity Foundations (November 2023) Intercultural Communication Tools Through an Equity Lens December 2023) Equity Think Tank- Speaker Series: The True Story of Hunger! (March 2024) EBT Convening- Boston, MA (March 2024) Introduction to Intercultural Communication Skills (March 2024) White Frontline Staff for Racial Justice Working Group Learning Sessions (February-June 2024) Food Justice and Food Sovereignty: Learning from Indigenous Knowledge and Leadership (June 2024) Data as Storytelling led by Oregon Food Bank's Network Equity and Racial Justice Team (June 2024) Native Fundamentals Training Series Native American History 101 (June 2024) OFB Media Training (July 2024) Empowering Access: Driving Fresh Produce Sales in SNAP (August 2024) Disability Justice 101 led by UPRISE Collective (August 2024) Time isn't Neutral: Power, Time, and the Workplace Workshop presented by Whiteness at Work (September 2022) Building More Equitable SNAP-Ed Collaborations Among Land-grant Universities and State & Community Partners: Webinar sponsored by the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems in collaboration with the Racial Equity in the Food System Workgroup (October 2022) Opportunities to Connect Eligible Immigrant Families to SNAP: Reflections from USDA and Community Partners Webinar (USDA - October 2022) Reproductive Justice is Food Justice (October 2022) Oregon Food Bank for our biannual "Allies for Equity Summit" Fair Food Network Participant Engagement Learning Cohort: Sessions 1 & 2 (January 2023) Anti-Racist and Decolonial Agriculture Speaker Series - Rogue Valley Food Systems Network (February 2023) Indigenous Leadership Briefing Series - Ecotrust (March 2023) Bystander-Aggression Intervention Training - Oregon Food Bank (May 2023) Gender Expansion & Diversity Inclusion Training led by Bridge 13 (June 2023) Network Equity and Racial Justice Team Pilot: Introduction to Group Dynamics (July 2023) Nutrition Incentive Local Sourcing Cohort (Summer 2023) EBT Integration Community of Practice monthly gathering to share insights in SNAP incentive delivery through state issued FNS EBT SNAP card. CSA PNWCSA staff assisted farmers in learning how to accept SNAP payments for their shares, and how to apply DUFB incentives to their shares. This included developing training materials and handbooks, producing a webinar, and one-on-one mentoring throughout the year. Throughout this grant, 5 staff members participated in training 66 farms how to accept SNAP and DUFB. PNWCSA staff were invited to teach a course on how to improve CSA share accessibility through accepting SNAP, applying DUFB, and using sliding-scale payment models (Small Farms School). PNWCSA staff were invited throughout the year to participate in webinars, coffee chats, and other forums to advise other nonprofit organizations and farms on CSA share accessibility through SNAP and incentive programs. Program Evaluation Over the GusCRR grant period, Evaluator Stephanie Grutzmacher trained three doctoral students, three master's students, and six undergraduate students on key evaluation tasks such as project coordination, protocol development and testing, observation methods, interviewing and focus group facilitation, transcription and transcript cleaning, survey data collection, database cleaning and variable construction, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and report completion. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our program evaluation partner, Oregon State University, created a series of datasets and reports from the evaluation conducted throughout the grant period. This included annual full survey datasets, annual outlet-specific datasets, annual outlet-specific reports, and annual site-specific reports, all of these provided separately for 2021, 2022, and 2023 data collection. These datasets and reports were provided to implementing organizations (FMF, OFB, and PNW CSA) who were then able to disseminate these reports to their stakeholder networks, including specific DUFB outlets. Outreach flyers and posters were distributed annually in all main regions of the state. We conducted regular reviews of these materials with Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon's SNAP Community Advisory Board (SNAP CAB) in early 2022 and 2023 and made revisions to their design and presentation based on this feedback, including streamlining the explanation of how the program works. These updated materials were disseminated to SNAP participants through farmers markets, Department of Human services offices, food banks and pantries, senior centers, community spaces, and other social service organizations. We have strong connections with the Department of Human Services, the State agency who administers SNAP, and their staff promote DUFB at several levels: both in their statewide outreach materials and through individual one-on-one conversations, when customers are registering for SNAP. The Oregon Health Authority, the State agency who administers the Farm Direct Nutrition Program and Senior Farm DIrect Nutrition Program, also included DUFB in their annual outreach materials to their audience. Additionally, individual sites participating in DUFB conduct their own outreach, based on their deep familiarity with their communities and the best ways to make connections. FMF provides farmers markets with region-specific outreach materials and DUFB outreach tips, as well as one-on-one technical assistance throughout the season. We've also partnered with a number of independent outreach partners (organizations focused on food security and/or supporting local agriculture) in each region of Oregon to assist with outreach that reaches communities of interest. OFB provides grocery stores with customizable outreach materials and an outreach toolkit, as well as on-on-one technical assistance and promotion of DUFB grocery sites through their own statewide network of partners. All DUFB partners share the doubleuoporegon.org website, which serves as a central hub for any SNAP participant interested in the DUFB program. This site explains how the program works at different outlet types, and includes a list of all participating firms. Furthermore, farmers markets can apply to receive additional funding for outreach activities through the Growth Grant funding program. OFB provided links to recordings and presentation materials for the October 2022 Closing the Loop feedback event and the May 2023 DUFB Ambassador Program Overview with all DUFB Ambassadors and program partners who participated. Recordings of trainings, presentations, and other resources are shared at DUFB team meetings when available. EBT Convening information was shared in the following ways: OFB SNAP CAB Presentation, during which OFB gave an overview of the NAVA EBT Integration feasibility study. (November 2023) Field report with state agency and OFB DUFB and Advocacy Teams (May 2024) Meeting with OFB DUFB and Advocacy Teams (July 2024) OFMA served as a one stop resource for farmers market operators to receive help with any questions about how to implement and run SNAP. OFMA used their website, e-news, social media, virtual events, one-to-one contacts, and market word of mouth to build relationships and become known amongst the market community as a source of assistance. PNW CSA's DUFB outreach materials were presented to the SNAP Client Advisory Board for feedback on relevancy, clarity, and inclusivity. DUFB info cards in English and Spanish were distributed to self-sufficiency offices in Multnomah, Washington, and Lane counties. Staff at self-sufficiency offices in Lane county attended an hour-long training on how to use DUFB to assist people using SNAP in purchasing local fruits and vegetables. See "Other Products" section for additional detail on outreach efforts. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) Oregon is a statewide SNAP incentive program coordinated by Farmers Market Fund (FMF). For every dollar of SNAP spent at participating sites, shoppers receive an additional dollar of DUFB to spend on local fruits and vegetables. During the grant period, we improved the program to further benefit participants, serving 100 farmers markets, 66 CSA farms, and 42 grocery stores in 33 of Oregon's 36 counties, with a total of $7,980,310 in redeemed DUFB incentives. This project greatly expanded the reach and impact of DUFB Oregon, bringing greater geographic availability, an increase in number of users and incentives redeemed, greater economic impact, and increased food security. Goal 1: Address the immediate food security needs of Oregon SNAP participants by significantly expanding the number of sites participating in DUFB and increasing those sites' daily matching limits from $10 to $20. Activities: GusCRR funds enabled an increase of the daily DUFB match limit from $10 to $20 at all participating farmers markets and grocery stores, as well as a match incentive structure change for CSA shares from a maximum $250 incentive to a flat 1:1 unlimited match on CSA share costs. This impacted 100 farmers markets, 66 CSA farms, and 42 grocery stores in 33 of Oregon's 36 counties. FMF and Oregon Farmers Markets Association (OFMA) conducted outreach to 59 markets during the grant period to encourage participation and provide them with SNAP- and DUFB-related technical assistance. FMF created multilingual outreach materials and online and print advertising campaigns to bring SNAP shoppers to markets. Oregon Food Bank (OFB) prioritized recruitment in the 17 Oregon counties without a participating DUFB grocer and conducted recruitment outreach to prospective retailers through 29+ individual site visits. OFB developed partnerships with 32 new retailers in 12 new Oregon counties. OFB translated materials into 17 languages to support in-store promotion and outreach. Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (PNWCSA) ran outreach campaigns via social media, newsletters, and handouts. PNWCSA hosted multiple outreach events in Portland and Lane County and tabled at farmers markets to promote the DUFB CSA program. Oregon State University (OSU) collected a total of 1,094 participant surveys from 647 farmers market participants, 151 CSA participants, and 296 grocery participants. Data: All outlets collected the required GusCRR core metrics and reported total SNAP and incentives issued and redeemed by program participants; total SNAP and incentive transactions; total participants; and other transaction-level data. Surveys conducted by OSU provide food security data. Statistics: During the full grant period, farmers markets reported $4,167,487 in produce purchased with DUFB. In Period 3, $1,596,196 in DUFB was spent at farmers markets in 93,624 transactions. This was a 9% increase in redeemed DUFB incentives over Period 2 and a 258% increase from the baseline of $445,800 in 2021. Participating grocery stores reported $1,568,267 of DUFB spent through 475,830 transactions. DUFB redemption increased 34% over Period 2 and 460% from the baseline of $280,000. PNWCSA saw $166,542 in produce purchased with DUFB from CSA farms via 1,743 DUFB transactions, a 51% increase over Period 2 and a 284% increase over the baseline of $43,325. CSA farmers reported 567 shares purchased using DUFB, a 2% increase over Period 2 and 77% increase over 2020-21. Five new farmers markets and 13 new CSA farms joined DUFB in Period 3, with respective totals of 94 farmers markets and 66 CSA farms participating in the program during the period. Ten new grocers joined DUFB in Period 3, bringing total stores to 42. Over baseline numbers, this is an increase of 47% in farmers markets, 200% in CSA farms, and 320% in grocery stores; farm direct (FM and CSA) sites overall increased 86%. Grocery locations increased from 8 counties in the baseline period to 26 counties at the end of the grant period. Survey data collected by OSU indicates that participation in the DUFB program increases food security over time. Of 579 respondents in 2022, 64% self-reported as food secure. However, only 57% of first time participants rated themselves as food secure, while 64% of those who had participated for less than six months and 67% of those participating for more than six months were food secure. Outcomes: Program and evaluation data indicates that the increased $20 daily incentive match significantly boosted program usage and participation during the grant period. While the rate of growth from Period 2 to Period 3 was not as significant as the rate of growth from the baseline period to Period 1, or Period 1 to Period 2, this is to be expected given that the transition from a $10 to $20 incentive limit took place during Period 1, allowing for significant initial growth. The overall DUFB Oregon program saw growth of 333% across all outlet types when comparing the Period 3 total of $3,331,005 in DUFB incentives redeemed versus the baseline period total of $769,125, far exceeding this proposal's original growth goals. The incentive increase also led to significant increases in SNAP and DUFB participants and SNAP spending at farm direct outlets. Goal 2: Reduce barriers to participation in the DUFB program for both firms and shoppers, enhancing resilience of Oregon's food system enduring the pandemic. Activities: FMF launched the Growth Grant program during the grant period, providing farmers markets with funding for non-incentive expenses related to the DUFB program. These funds were used by markets to increase capacity to operate the program, improve participant experience, and implement community-centered outreach. OFB recruited 23 DUFB Ambassadors representing Latinx, East African, Middle Eastern, Native American (Yakima Tribe), Somali, Chinese, Nepalese, Iu Mien, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA2S communities. Ambassadors engaged in a variety of outreach efforts, including expanded DUFB outreach in rural Oregon and tribal communities; transcreation of DUFB outreach materials into 17 different languages; distribution of outreach materials; and distribution of bus tickets to SNAP shoppers to lift transportation barriers. PNWCSA addressed transportation barriers to participation in DUFB CSAs by helping farmers deliver their shares directly to SNAP customers. Data: FMF tracked the amount of funding provided to farmers markets and the number of markets receiving support. OFB tracked the number of DUFB Ambassadors and activities completed. PNWCSA tracked the number of participants receiving CSA share delivery. Statistics: FMF's support program for farmers markets provided over $420,000 in funding during the three year period, impacting over 70 organizations operating more than 90 farmers markets. Twenty-three Ambassadors completed 230 individual Ambassador meetings, 31 group meetings, and distributed 16,040 pieces of outreach materials at 135+ outreach activities. PNWCSA provided 35 SNAP participants with free delivery from 13 farms. Outcomes: FMF's farmers market support program provided significant support to markets, increasing self-reported capacity for continued participation in DUFB and likelihood of offering nutrition assistance programs. These additional funds also supported innovative and culturally-responsive outreach efforts; direct language support at markets via outreach materials and on-site staff; and support materials replicable across markets, helping to fuel the extensive growth seen in the DUFB program the past three years. OFB's DUFB Ambassador program provided outreach to high-need communities, facilitating creation of multilingual, culturally relevant DUFB materials while providing outreach in areas with low program participation. Ambassadors provided program feedback from underrepresented communities and helped make DUFB materials available in 17 different languages.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Harmon, R. (2024). Participant Barriers to Participating in the Oregon Double Up Food Bucks Program. Masters in Professional Dietetics Capstone paper.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Grutzmacher, S., Munger, A., Speirs, K., Harmon, R., Teigen, Z., Chavez Tista, G., Kasimanickam, M., Caris, J., Watson, M., & Ward, R. (October 2024). Farmers market manager perspectives on the benefits, drawbacks, and factors for successful implementation of a SNAP incentive program. Abstract presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Kasimanickam, M., Teigen, Z., Watson, M., Caris, J., Ward, R., Speirs, K., Munger, A., Quillen, T., & Grutzmacher, S. (October 2024). Participants perceptions of SNAP emergency allotment termination: Implications for the Oregon Double Up Food Bucks program. Poster presented at the Oregon Public Health Association Annual Conference, Corvallis, OR.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Speirs, K., Wilson, H., Bawdine, M., Stewart, R., Grutzmacher, S., & Leih, R. (September 2024). Invasion of the data snatchers: Minimizing bot attacks to maximize online survey integrity. Workshop presented at the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Annual Conference. Tucson, AZ.
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Oregon SNAP Participants During this period, we provided Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) SNAP incentives to a large cross section of SNAP participants across the state. DUFB Oregon has a variety of participating outlets in all regions of the state, and in urban, suburban, and rural communities. According to 2019 data from US Census Bureau, Oregon SNAP participants were 63% Non-Hispanic White, 23% Hispanic, 3% Black, 3% Asian, 6% two or more races, and 2% Native American / Alaskan Native. Optional demographic data collected from survey participants in 2022 by Oregon State University indicated DUFB program participants as 74% White, 7% more than one race, 3% Asian, 2% Black, 1% other races, and 12% declined to answer or did not know. Of surveyed participants, 15% were Hispanic and 85% not Hispanic. Farmers Market Managers During this period, we reached managers from 89 farmers markets in 26 of Oregon's 36 counties. According to a 2022 census conducted by the Oregon Farmers Markets Association which surveyed all farmers market managers in the state (including those who did not participate in DUFB): 90% self-identified as White while 10% identified as Asian American Pacific Islander, Latine, and/or BIPOC. 84% identified as female, 12% as male, and 4% as queer or nonbinary. The Oregon Farmers Markets Association, a sub-awardee, provided information about DUFB to 117 farmers market organizations in Oregon, and through them to their vendors and customers. This included providing 30 markets with ongoing SNAP and DUFB technical assistance about EBT equipment, SNAP and DUFB currency options, recordkeeping and accounting, how to handle EBT and DUFB transactions, and other technical support. Of special focus are farmers markets starting SNAP programs for the first time, or markets with established programs who have a new market manager. Brick and Mortar Locations During this period, sub-awardees from the Oregon Food Bank partnered with 32 brick and mortar sites in 19 of Oregon's 36 counties. In selecting participating brick and mortar locations preference was given to stores that reside in an Oregon county that currently does not have a participating DUFB outlet, were BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) led, offered culturally specific goods and/or services, and rural retailers serving within food insecure communities (utilized SNAP household demographic participation rates, USDA food access research atlas, and Map the Meal Gap, Opportunity Zone, datasets to assess regional make-up). Farmers During this period, sub-awardee Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (PNWCSA) worked with 53 CSA farms in 15 Oregon counties, including 21 new farms who joined the DUFB incentive program during the reporting period. During this period, PNWCSA was able to provide DUFB incentives to 552 food-insecure households in 69 cities throughout Oregon, with 75.7% of program participants identifying as White, 10.3% as more than one race, 2% as Black, 2% as Asian, and 1% American Indian or Alaskan Native. DUFB Ambassadors In recruiting Ambassador leaders, recruitment centered on persons with lived experience and expertise, current and former SNAP participants, and representation of communities who most disproportionately experience hunger in Oregon: Black, Indigenous and all People of Color, immigrants and refugees, trans and gender-nonconforming individuals, and single mothers and caregivers. Changes/Problems:Brick and Mortar Rural stores partnerships with independent retailers have been difficult to move forward through virtual/remote meetings and engagement. Store owners have reported difficulty prioritizing virtual engagement due to the necessity of addressing emergent and immediate needs at retail locations. Spend down of incentive funds from GusCRR is behind projections. This is due to the availability of additional funding from the State of Oregon as well as the challenges noted above for onboarding rural store partnerships. Initial brick and mortar sites were covered by expiring state funds. Oregon Food Bank will prioritize the distribution of unspent brick and mortar incentive funds starting December 2023 and new rural store partnerships will accelerate this spending. CSA For the 2023 main growing season, PNW CSA modified the DUFB CSA program to more closely meet the needs of farmers and participants. CSA shares have evolved over the last five years to include shares of all sizes and durations, and it no longer made sense to offer a tiered discount based on "large shares" (with a maximum $250 DUFB discount) vs. "small shares" (with a maximum $125 DUFB discount). As a result, PNW CSA moved to a 50% incentive model, in which CSA shares paid for with SNAP receive a $1 to $1 DUFB match up to the full share price. This new approach makes the reimbursement program much more simple, has increased farmer and participant understanding, has increased accessibility while making the program more equitable across all farmers and participants, and has allowed farmers to adjust their share models to better suit their members' needs. This modification also helped many more people become CSA members. The numbers of farms and of members paying with SNAP grew much more than we anticipated, due in large part to this incentive model change. Program Evaluation OSU has encountered three significant problems with the core metrics survey data collection: The grocery participant survey was overwhelmed by bots/scammers for the second year in a row, resulting in over 8,000 fake entries and a significant time expenditure to provide incentives to real participants and identify and exclude fake data. OSU identified more real survey entries after the data submission date, rendering the NTAE-provided datasets and reports less complete than our own datasets and reports. OSU also had substantial difficulty constructing the fruit and vegetable cup equivalent variables. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Farmers Markets Trainings were conducted by the FMF Program Coordinator for farmers market managers to better understand the impact of SNAP matching programs, and learn how to best interact with customers and vendors to implement Double Up Food Bucks. Training participants were also provided with record keeping and tracking tools to better organize SNAP and matching transactions, as well as improve bookkeeping methods. One training was held in late 2022 for markets who began their programs in Winter 2023 and four were held in Spring 2022 for markets participating in the main season. Two of the Spring 2023 trainings were market manager trainings for participating in DUFB and the requirements of the program. The other two were mandatory Customer Experience trainings, using a trauma-informed approach to interact with SNAP and DUFB customers at farmers markets. An FMF contractor conducted an information session webinar for farmers markets interested in applying for the DUFB Growth Grant, which provides farmers markets with funding for non-incentive expenses related to DUFB program implementation and promotion at their markets. This webinar provided a detailed review of program rules and eligibility, the application process, financial recordkeeping and other documentation requirements, and eligible and ineligible expenses. We also created a DUFB Growth Grant website for general access by DUFB-participating farmers markets that provided all Growth Grant-related documents, instructions on how to apply for funding, eligibility requirements, funding restrictions, and a series of templates, documents, and tools for grant-related administration and recordkeeping. Regular ongoing technical assistance and mentoring was also given to all farmers market staff during the reporting period as their incentive programs began and additional coaching was required. This included market visits during summer 2023 to select markets to provide additional support and technical assistance, as well as to review recordkeeping and documentation standards and practices. All Farmers Market Fund staff attended in person the NTAE Nutrition Hub's National Convening in June 2023, providing all staff with professional development and learning opportunities through the convenings various sessions, plenaries, field trips, and networking opportunities. Professional development for OFMA staff over the past year has included: peer exchange on providing SNAP/DUFB assistance with other market associations around the country; attending SNAP related webinars hosted by other states and organizations; visiting farmers markets in Oregon and seeing their SNAP & DUFB systems in action. Brick and Mortar The 10 members of the 2023 DUFB Ambassadors engaged in the following training and professional development activities: Double Up Food Bucks Program Training 101 (Introduction to DUFB Statewide Program) (led by OFB Organizer) January 2023 Virtual Meeting Space Training (led by OFB Organizer) January 2023 SNAP Access Training (led by 211Info) April 2023 Double Up food Bucks Program Training 201 (Farmers Market Season Kick off) May 2023 Food Systems Networking and Skill Building Convergence (May 2023) Nutrition Incentive Hub Webinar -Store Owner Voices: How Nutrition Incentives Help Small Businesses & Communities (July 2023) Food Finder Workshop (led by OFB Organizer) August 2023 Individual Study: Skills in leading and conducting outreach events, public speaking, and networking reported by Ambassador participants Individual Study: Skills in strategic planning, effective execution, and adaptability to achieve DUFB objectives reported by Ambassador participants DUFB staff participated in the following training and professional development opportunities: Time isn't Neutral: Power, Time, and the Workplace Workshop presented by Whiteness at Work (September 2022) Building More Equitable SNAP-Ed Collaborations Among Land-grant Universities and State & Community Partners: Webinar sponsored by the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems in collaboration with the Racial Equity in the Food System Workgroup (October 2022) Opportunities to Connect Eligible Immigrant Families to SNAP: Reflections from USDA and Community Partners Webinar (USDA - October 2022) Reproductive Justice is Food Justice (October 2022) Oregon Food Bank for our biannual "Allies for Equity Summit" Fair Food Network Participant Engagement Learning Cohort: Sessions 1 & 2 (January 2023) Anti-Racist and Decolonial Agriculture Speaker Series - Rogue Valley Food Systems Network (February 2023) Indigenous Leadership Briefing Series - Ecotrust (March 2023) Bystander-Aggression Intervention Training - Oregon Food Bank (May 2023) Gender Expansion & Diversity Inclusion Training led by Bridge 13 (June 2023) Network Equity and Racial Justice Team Pilot: Introduction to Group Dynamics (July 2023) Nutrition Incentive Local Sourcing Cohort (Summer 2023) EBT Integration Community of Practice monthly gathering to share insights in SNAP incentive delivery through state issued FNS EBT SNAP card. CSA Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition staff have participated in training related to the DUFB CSA program (how the tracking database works, how the incentives are disbursed). PNWCSA staff were invited to teach a course on how to improve CSA share accessibility through accepting SNAP, applying DUFB, and using sliding-scale payment models (Small Farms School). PNWCSA staff were invited throughout the year to participate in webinars, coffee chats, and other forums to advise other nonprofit organizations and farms on CSA share accessibility through SNAP and incentive programs. Farmers participating in the DUFB CSA program have received training on how to accept SNAP payments for their shares, how to apply DUFB incentives to their shares, how to recruit members, how to sign up members, and how to track member payments. Program Evaluation Evaluator Grutzmacher trained two doctoral students and four undergraduate students on key evaluation tasks such as project coordination, interviewing and focus group facilitation, transcription and transcript cleaning, survey data collection, database cleaning and variable construction, data analysis, and report completion. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our program evaluation partner, Oregon State University, created a series of datasets and reports from the evaluation collected during Period 1 of this project. This included full survey datasets; outlet-specific datasets, outlet-specific reports, and site-specific reports. These datasets and reports were provided to implementing organizations (FMF, OFB, and PNWCSA) who were then able to disseminate these reports to their stakeholder networks, including specific DUFB outlets. Outreach flyers and posters were distributed in all main regions of the state. We conducted a review of these materials with Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon's SNAP Community Advisory Board (SNAP CAB) in early 2023 and made revisions to their design and presentation based on this feedback, including streamlining the explanation of how the program works. These updated materials were disseminated to SNAP participants through farmers markets, Department of Human services offices, food banks and pantries, senior centers, community spaces, and other social service organizations. We have strong connections with the Department of Human Services, the State agency who administers SNAP, and their staff promote DUFB at several levels: both in their statewide outreach materials and through individual one-on-one conversations, when customers are registering for SNAP. The Oregon Health Authority, the State agency who administers the Farm Direct Nutrition Program and Senior Farm DIrect Nutrition Program, also included DUFB in their annual outreach materials to their audience. Additionally, individual sites participating in DUFB conduct their own outreach, based on their deep familiarity with their communities and the best ways to make connections. FMF provides farmers markets with region-specific outreach materials and DUFB outreach tips, as well as one-on-one technical assistance throughout the season. We've also partnered with a number of independent outreach partners (organizations focused on food security and/or supporting local agriculture) in each region of Oregon to assist with outreach that reaches communities of interest. OFB provides grocery stores with customizable outreach materials and an outreach toolkit, as well as on-on-one technical assistance and promotion of DUFB grocery sites through their own statewide network of partners. All DUFB partners share the doubleuoporegon.org website, which serves as a central hub for any SNAP participant interested in the DUFB program. This site explains how the program works at different outlet types, and includes a list of all participating firms. OFB provided links to recordings and presentation materials for the October 2022 Closing the Loop feedback event and the May 2023 DUFB Ambassador Program Overview with all DUFB Ambassadors and program partners who participated. OFMA served as a one stop resource for farmers market operators to receive help with any questions about how to implement and run SNAP. OFMA used their website, e-news, social media, virtual events, one-to-one contacts, and market word of mouth to build relationships and become known amongst the market community as a source of assistance. PNWCSA's DUFB outreach materials were presented to the SNAP Client Advisory Board for feedback on relevancy, clarity, and inclusivity. DUFB info cards in English and Spanish were distributed to self-sufficiency offices in Multnomah, Washington, and Lane counties. Staff at self-sufficiency offices in Lane county attended an hour-long training on how to use DUFB to assist people using SNAP in purchasing local fruits and vegetables. See "Other Products" section for additional detail on outreach efforts. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Farmers Markets Continue to increase the number and geographic diversity of farmer markets offering the DUFB program, by working in partnership with OFMA to make connections with new markets and offer them the technical assistance and support necessary to participate in DUFB and thrive. Build capacity and expertise among farmers markets participating in DUFB by continuing to organize and host DUFB Community of Practice meetings during the DUFB season, strengthening peer learning opportunities among DUFB practitioners across the state and providing in-depth training on topics including outreach, program implementation, and vendor training. In addition, continue to develop and require for all participating markets an annual Customer Experience training rooted in trauma-informed best practices that help create welcoming environments for all SNAP and DUFB participants. Again offer the DUFB Growth Grant in 2024, continuing to provide funding support for farmers markets for non-incentive expenses related to DUFB program implementation, with a particular focus on support for small, rural, and BIPOC-focused markets. In 2024, we will expand a pilot program to designate a specific amount of Growth Grant funding toward projects that specifically reduce or eliminate participant barriers to accessing the program at farmers markets. Continue to adapt and expand program design and implementation based on feedback provided by SNAP Client Advisory Board, regional community partners, and DUFB Ambassadors, with a focus on removing barriers SNAP shoppers may face to participation in the program. Continue to successfully implement the DUFB program at farmers markets, with a goal of distributing at least $1,700,000 in incentives at 90 sites in 28 counties in Period 3. Continue to conduct annual online trainings for all participating farmers markets to successfully implement the program and track results, distribute over 30,000 pieces of outreach materials to community partners, organizations, and social service agencies serving SNAP recipients around participating markets, and oversee successful implementation of Period 3 program evaluation at all participating DUFB Oregon sites. In collaboration with OSU, complete analysis of Period 2 program evaluation and disseminate results widely. Evaluation results will be disseminated in appropriate formats (e.g., presentations, stakeholder reports, and annual and final project reports) and used to both improve the Oregon programs and provide evidence of best practices to other programs. OFMA will conduct outreach to new farmers markets and offer to help with setting up SNAP at their market. OFMA will continue their popular Farmers Market Manager Bootcamp and Peer Learning Circle offerings. OFMA will update their website with new SNAP-related resources and will provide more regular notices in their communications that OFMA is available to help with SNAP acceptance. Brick and Mortar Continue to prioritize engagement with store partners in the 14 Oregon counties without a participating brick and mortar DUFB partner (Crook, Curry, Douglas, Harney, Hood River, Jefferson, Josephine, Linn, Morrow, Polk, Sherman, Umatilla, Wasco, Washington). DUFB grocery team plans to prioritize in person site visits for rural store partners, providing onsite technical assistance and capacity to launch DUFB, in order to address capacity limitations shared by prospective partners. Support development of Oregon Food Bank Resource Portal to provide Ambassadors with resources, training, and professional development opportunities Prioritize recruitment of Ambassadors from Oregon Food Bank's priority equity constituencies to support outreach to highest need communities. CSA Develop and deploy outreach campaigns for 2024 main season and winter season, both for farmers and for consumers. Promote program at annual Share Fair event and during CSA Week; enable members to sign up at Share Fair. Continue new farm recruitment. Travel to other regions of state to educate farmers and consumers about the program. Work with other service organizations to promote the program (self-sufficiency offices, community centers, etc.). Program Evaluation Funding for GusCRR for the evaluation discontinues in FY24. There are no new evaluation activities funded by GusCRR. However, the qualitative data analyses of participant interviews and stakeholder interviews will be completed between October 2023 - May 2024, and datasets and reports from participant survey data collected in Period 2 will be finalized in Period 3.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) Oregon is a statewide SNAP incentive program coordinated by Farmers Market Fund (FMF). For every dollar of SNAP spent at participating sites, shoppers receive an additional dollar of DUFB to spend on local fruits and vegetables. In Period 2, we maintained and expanded improvements to the program to further benefit program participants, serving 89 farmers markets, 53 CSA farms, and 32 grocery stores in 30 of Oregon's 36 counties, with a total of $2,749,246 in redeemed DUFB incentives. This project has greatly expanded the reach and impact of DUFB Oregon, bringing greater geographic availability, a significant increase in number of users and incentives redeemed, greater economic impact, and increased food security to users. Goal 1: Address the immediate food security needs of Oregon SNAP participants by significantly expanding the number of sites participating in DUFB and increasing those sites' daily matching limits from $10 to $20. Activities: In Period 2, GusCRR funds enabled the continuation of an increased $20 DUFB match limit at all participating farmers markets and grocery stores. For CSA shares, the match incentive structure was changed from a maximum $250 incentive to a flat 1:1 match on CSA share costs without a cost limit. FMF and Oregon Farmers Markets Association (OFMA) conducted outreach to 20 markets to encourage participation and provided 30 markets with SNAP- and DUFB-related technical assistance. FMF created multilingual outreach materials and online and print advertising campaigns to bring SNAP shoppers to markets. Oregon Food Bank (OFB) prioritized recruitment in the 14 Oregon counties without a participating DUFB brick and mortar location and conducted recruitment outreach to prospective retailers through 17 individual site visits. OFB developed partnerships with 12 new retailers this period in 8 new Oregon counties. OFB translated materials into 14 languages to support in-store promotion and outreach. Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (PNWCSA) ran outreach campaigns via social media, newsletter, and handouts. PNWCSA also hosted outreach events in Portland and Lane County to promote the DUFB CSA program and match participants with farmers. Oregon State University (OSU) collected 775 participant surveys during Period 2, including 444 participants from 32 farmers markets, 92 participants from 31 CSAs, and 239 participants from four grocery stores. Data: All outlets collected the required GusCRR core metrics monthly, and reported total SNAP and incentives issued and redeemed by program participants; total SNAP and incentive transactions; total participants; and other transaction-level data. Surveys conducted by OSU provide food security data. Statistics: In Period 2, farmers markets reported $1,464,826 in produce purchased with DUFB, a 34% increase over Period 1 and a 195% increase over the same period in 2020-21, while the 88,941 DUFB transactions represent a 19% increase over Period 1 and 73% over 2020-21. Participating grocery stores reported $1,173,928 of produce purchased with DUFB, in a total of 298,691 transactions. DUFB redemption increased 67% over Period 1 and 712% over the same period in 2020-21, while DUFB transactions increased 324% over Period 1 and 1,703% over 2020-21. PNWCSA facilitated $110,492 in produce purchased with DUFB from CSA farms, a 122% increase over Period 2 and a 155% increase over the same period 2020-21, and conducted 1,743 DUFB transactions, a 115% increase over Period 1. CSA farmers reported 558 shares purchased using DUFB, a 45% increase over Period 1 and 74% increase over 2020-21. Fourteen new farmers markets and 14 new CSA farms joined DUFB in Period 2, with respective totals of 89 farmers markets and 53 CSA farms participating in the program. Seven new grocers joined DUFB in Period 2, bringing total stores to 32. Survey data collected by OSU indicates that participation in the DUFB program increases food security over time. Of 579 respondents in 2022, 64% self-reported as food secure. However, only 57% of first time participants rated themselves as food secure, while 64% of those who had participated for less than six months and 67% of those participating for more than six months were food secure. Outcomes: Program and evaluation data indicates that the increased $20 daily incentive match limit significantly boosted program use and participation during Period 2 across all outlet types. While the rate of growth from Period 1 to Period 2 was not as significant as the rate of growth from the pre-grant 2020-21 period to Period 1, this is to be expected given that the transition from a $10 to $20 incentive limit took place during Period 1, allowing for significant growth. The overall DUFB Oregon program saw year over year growth of 49% across all outlet types, with a total of $2,749,246 in DUFB incentives spent on produce in Period 2 compared to $1,848,120 in Period 1. The incentive increase also led to significant increases in SNAP and DUFB participants and SNAP spending at farm direct outlets. Goal 2: Reduce barriers to participation in the DUFB program for both firms and shoppers, enhancing resilience of Oregon's food system enduring the pandemic. Activities: In Period 2, FMF continued to provide farmers markets with funding for non-incentive expenses related to the DUFB program. These funds were used by markets to increase capacity to operate the program, improve participant experience, and implement community-centered outreach. OFB recruited 10 DUFB Ambassadors representing Latinx, East African, Middle Eastern, Native American, Iu Mien, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA2S communities to participate in the 2023 cohort. Ambassadors engaged in a variety of outreach efforts, including expanded DUFB outreach in rural Oregon communities; transcreation of DUFB outreach materials into six additional languages; attendance at outreach events at which Ambassadors distributed DUFB outreach materials; and distribution of bus tickets to SNAP shoppers to lift transportation barriers. PNWCSA addressed barriers to participation in CSA by helping farmers deliver their shares directly to consumers, lifting transportation barriers for participants. Data: FMF tracked the amount of funding provided to farmers markets and the number of markets receiving support. OFB tracked the number of DUFB Ambassadors serving during Period 2, as well as statistics related to outreach efforts. PNWCSA tracked the number of participants receiving CSA share delivery. Statistics: FMF's support program for farmers markets provided over $77,000 in funding to 64 farmers markets. Eighteen Ambassadors completed 112 individual Ambassador meetings and 12 group meetings, and distributed 7,740 pieces of outreach materials at 88 outreach activities. PNWCSA provided 27 SNAP participants with free delivery from 7 farms. Outcomes: FMF's farmers market support program provided significant and impactful support to markets, increasing capacity for continued market participation in DUFB. Program feedback from markets-particularly smaller and more rural ones-indicated that those receiving funds were more likely to participate in the program in future years. These additional funds also supported innovative and culturally-responsive outreach efforts; direct language support at markets via outreach materials and on-site staff; and support materials replicable across markets, such as a zine printed in multiple languages providing participants with instructions on how to use SNAP and DUFB. OFB's DUFB Ambassador program provided outreach to high-need communities. Ambassadors facilitated creation of multilingual, culturally relevant DUFB marketing and outreach materials, while providing outreach in areas with low program participation and limited DUFB outlets. Ambassadors also provided program feedback from underrepresented communities and helped make DUFB materials available in 14 different languages.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Oregon SNAP Participants During this period, we provided Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) SNAP incentives to a large cross section of SNAP participants across the state, including Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) shoppers. DUFB Oregon has a variety of participating outlets in all regions of the state, and in urban, suburban, and rural communities. According to 2019 data from US Census Bureau, Oregon SNAP participants were 63% Non-Hispanic White, 23% Hispanic, 3.% Black, 3% Asian, 6% two or more races, and 2% Native American / Alaskan Native. Optional demographic data collected from survey participants in 2021 under our GusNIP grant indicated participants as 74% White, 2% Black, 2% Asian, 5% two or more races, 1% Native American / Alaskan Native, 5% other, and 11% declined to answer or did not know. Farmers Market Managers During this period, we reached managers from 75 farmers markets in 26 of Oregon's 36 counties. According to a 2019 census conducted by the Oregon Farmers Markets Association which surveyed all farmers market managers in the state (including those who did not participate in DUFB): 94% self-identified as White, 3% Asian, and 3% asian multiracial/multiethnic. In addition, 39% self-identified as low income, 3% as immigrant / refugees, 30% as rural underserved, 12% as LGBTQ+, 9% as people with disabilities, and 5% as crime / abuse survivors. The Oregon Farmers Markets Association, a sub-awardee, provided information about DUFB to 116 farmers market organizations in Oregon, and through them to their vendors and customers. This included providing 30 markets with ongoing SNAP and DUFB technical assistance about EBT equipment, SNAP and DUFB currency options, recordkeeping and accounting, how to handle EBT and DUFB transactions, and other technical support. Brick and Mortar Locations During this period, sub-awardees from the Oregon Food Bank partnered with 25 brick and mortar sites in 15 of Oregon's 36 counties. In selecting participating brick and mortar locations preference was given to stores that were BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) led, offered culturally specific goods and/or services, and rural retailers serving within food insecure communities. Farmers During this period, sub-awardee Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition worked with 39 CSA farms in 10 Oregon counties, including seven new farms who joined the DUFB incentive program during the reporting period. During this period, the Pacific NW CSA Coalition was able to provide DUFB incentives to 386 food-insecure households in 51 cities throughout Oregon, with 8% of program participants identifying as American Indian and/or Native Alaskan, 2% as Black, and 2% as Asian. DUFB Ambassadors In recruiting Ambassador leaders, recruitment centered on persons with lived experience and expertise, current and former SNAP participants, and representation of communities who most disproportionately experience hunger in Oregon - Black, Indigenous and all People of Color, immigrants and refugees, trans and gender-nonconforming individuals, and single mothers and caregivers. Changes/Problems:Brick & Mortar Challenges with Point of Sale configuration and general new store onboarding resulted in some new stores starting their program participating late in the period. This reduced expenditure of budgeted grocery incentives during Period 1, even though overall grocery program growth was strong and exceeded goals. As Period 1 new stores grow their programming, new stores come on during Period 2, and overall program incentive funding shifts more toward GusCRR and away from other, expiring funding sources, full GusCRR budgeted grocery incentive funds are expected to be spent. Program Evaluation Recruitment for focus groups has been extraordinarily difficult (low response to various methods of contact/recruitment, high rate of no-shows, etc.), resulting in both delays and several changes in recruitment strategies. As a result, we are discussing a switch to interview formats and prioritizing Zoom over face-to-face. Our grocery participant survey was overwhelmed by bots/scammers, resulting in 1,700+ fake entries and a significant time expenditure to provide incentives to real participants and identify and exclude fake data. We have also had substantial difficulty constructing the fruit and vegetable cup equivalent variables and have collected additional surveys after the data submission date, rendering the NTAE-provided datasets and reports unusable. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Farmers Markets Five trainings were conducted by the FMF Program Coordinator for farmers market managers to better understand the impact of SNAP matching programs, and learn how to best interact with customers and vendors to implement Double Up Food Bucks. Training participants were also provided with record keeping and tracking tools to better organize SNAP and matching transactions, as well as improve bookkeeping methods. One training was held in late 2021 for markets who began their programs in Winter 2022 and four were held in Spring 2022 for markets participating in the main season. Two of the Spring 2022 trainings were market manager trainings for participating in DUFB and the requirements of the program while the other two were Customer Experience trainings, a trauma-informed approach to interacting with SNAP and DUFB customers at farmers markets that was required training for all participating markets. The FMF Program Manager conducted an information session webinar for farmers markets interested in applying for the DUFB Growth Grant, a pilot project to provide farmers markets with funding for non-incentive expenses related to DUFB program implementation and promotion at their markets. This webinar provided a detailed review of program rules and eligibility, the application process, financial recordkeeping and other documentation requirements, and eligible and ineligible expenses. We also created a DUFB Growth Grant website for general access by DUFB-participating farmers markets that provided all Growth Grant-related documents, instructions on how to apply for funding, eligibility requirements, funding restrictions, and a series of templates, documents, and tools for grant-related administration and recordkeeping. Regular ongoing technical assistance and mentoring was also given to all farmers market staff during the reporting period as their incentive programs began and additional coaching was required. This included market visits during summer 2022 to select markets to provide additional support and technical assistance, as well as to review recordkeeping and documentation standards and practices. Additionally, Farmers Market Fund staff have participated in opportunities for training through the Nutrition Incentive Hub and NTAE, received ongoing technical assistance and training through the Holistic TA pilot program co-coordinated by the Farmers Market Coalition, and through participation in communities of practice (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Incentives COP and Nutrition Education / Nutrition Incentives COP). Brick and Mortar OFB Staff have participated in opportunities for training through the Nutrition Incentive Hub, receiving point of sale technical assistance and training from FFN, National Grocers Association Foundation, and through participation in communities of practice. Staff have also been engaged in collaborative learning through participation in the EBT Integration community of practice. OFB provided direct consultation to store partners through bi-monthly check-in and technical assistance meetings. At these meetings, OFB provided project management support, ongoing meeting notes, tracked progress toward DUFB incentives launch, and retailer troubleshooting. OFB supported store partners with over 90 consultation meetings. Store training developed to support discussions with grocery store leadership to improve customer service and SNAP participant experience. Training focused on addressing stigma around SNAP usage and food insecurity, root causes of hunger, treating SNAP shoppers with respect and dignity, and harm reduction. The Ambassador "DUFB 101" training was developed in Spanish language and delivered during this period to all DUFB Ambassadors CSA Four Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition staff have participated in training related to our DUFB program (how the tracking database works, how the incentives are disbursed). 35 farmers have received training on our SNAP and DUFB program (how incentives are applied, how to recruit members, how to sign up members, how to track member payments). Program Evaluation Four undergraduate and two graduate students received training on protocol development, data collection, data management, and data analysis for survey, interview, and focus group evaluation activities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our program evaluation partner, Oregon State University, is in the process of creating a series of reports and datasets from the evaluation data collected during Period 1 of this project. Expected products will include a complete dataset of all collected and cleaned evaluation data, with the ability to filter and view by site type, as well as individual summary reports for all three outlet types (farmers market, brick and mortar, and CSA); individual reports for farmers markets with large enough sample sizes, as well as combined regional reports for smaller markets; qualitative summaries of focus group feedback and individual interviews; and a high level report encompassing the entire DUFB Oregon program in Period 1. Once completed, these reports will be delivered and reviewed with program partners and participating sites, as well as being shared broadly with stakeholders across Oregon. We expect also to create a presentation webinar that can be implemented in partnership with Oregon Farmers Market Association. Outreach flyers and posters were distributed in all main regions of the state. We conducted a detailed review of these materials with Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon's SNAP Community Advisory Board (SNAP CAB) in early 2022 and made significant revisions to their design and presentation based on this feedback. Revised materials were reviewed by SNAP CAB in a follow up Spring 2022 meeting, with strongly positive feedback from committee members to the changes made to outreach materials. These updated materials were disseminated to SNAP participants through farmers markets, Department of Human services offices, food banks and pantries, senior centers, community spaces, and other social service organizations. We have strong connections with the Department of Human Services, the State agency who administers SNAP, and their staff promote DUFB at several levels: both in their statewide outreach materials and through individual one-on-one conversations, when customers are registering for SNAP. The Oregon Health Authority, the State agency who administers the Farm Direct Nutrition Program and Senior Farm DIrect Nutrition Program, also included DUFB in their annual outreach materials to their audience during Period 1. Additionally, individual sites participating in DUFB conduct their own outreach, based on their deep familiarity with their communities and the best ways to make connections. FMF provides farmers markets with region-specific outreach materials and DUFB outreach tips, as well as one-on-one technical assistance throughout the season. We've also partnered with a number of independent outreach partners (organizations focused on food security and/or supporting local agriculture) in each region of Oregon to assist with outreach that reaches communities of interest. OFB provides grocery stores with customizable outreach materials and an outreach toolkit, as well as on-on-one technical assistance and promotion of DUFB grocery sites through their own statewide network of partners. All DUFB partners share the doubleuoporegon.org website, which serves as a central hub for any SNAP participant interested in the DUFB program. This site explains how the program works at different outlet types, and includes a list of all participating firms. During Period 1, 12 Double Up Food Bucks Ambassadors were recruited and onboarded. In recruiting Ambassador leaders, recruitment centered on person's with lived experience and expertise, current and former SNAP participants, and representation of communities who most disproportionately experience hunger in Oregon - Black, Indigenous and all People of Color, immigrants and refugees, trans and gender-nonconforming individuals, and single mothers and caregivers. These Ambassadors participated in a total of 143 hours of meeting time, including 64 check-in meetings with individual Ambassadors, 12 full cohort meetings with all Ambassadors, and additional training, feedback, and outreach sessions. See "Other Products" section for additional detail on outreach materials. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Farmers Markets Continue to increase the number and geographic diversity of farmer markets offering the DUFB program, by working in partnership with OFMA to ??make connections with new markets and offer them the technical assistance and support necessary to participate in DUFB and thrive. Build capacity and expertise among farmers markets participating in DUFB by continuing to organize and host DUFB Community of Practice meetings during the DUFB season, strengthening peer learning opportunities among DUFB practitioners across the state and providing in-depth training on topics including outreach, program implementation, and vendor training. In addition, continue to develop and require for all participating markets annual Customer Experience trainings rooted in trauma-informed best practices that help create welcoming environments for all SNAP and DUFB participants. Again offer the DUFB Growth Grant in 2023, continuing to provide funding support for farmers markets for non-incentive expenses related to DUFB program implementation, with a particular focus on support for small, rural, and BIPOC-focused markets. Continue to adapt and expand program design and implementation based on feedback provided by SNAP Client Advisory Board, regional community partners, and DUFB Ambassadors, with a focus on removing barriers SNAP shoppers may face to participation in the program. Continue to successfully implement the DUFB program at farmers markets, with a goal of distributing at least $1,200,000 in incentives at 85 sites in 29 counties in Period 2. Continue to conduct annual online trainings for all participating farmers markets to successfully implement the program and track results, distribute over 30,000 pieces of outreach materials to community partners, organizations, and social service agencies serving SNAP recipients around participating markets, and oversee successful implementation of Period 2 program evaluation at all participating DUFB Oregon sites. In collaboration with OSU, complete analysis of Year 1 program evaluation and disseminate results widely. Evaluation results will be disseminated in appropriate formats (e.g., presentations, stakeholder reports, and annual and final project reports) and used to both improve the Oregon programs and provide evidence of best practices to other programs. Brick & Mortar Recruit and onboard a new Ambassador cohort to continue to support culturally specific outreach, identify responsive strategies to address barriers, and participate in program design and implementation. Recruit and launch additional retailer partners, including at least three stores in counties that currently do not provide Double Up Food Bucks. Recruit and launch an estimated 3 to 4 retailers each quarter. Conduct outreach to prospective grocers and conduct partner intro meetings and site visits. Confirm contracts and reporting, install DUFB point of sale solution, troubleshoot and provide technical support. Update training materials, translate as needed and conduct onsite training. Continue to monitor through site visits and monthly reviews of reporting metrics, responding to low incentive use or compliance concerns. Utilize GusCRR funds to provide incentives to current 25 GusNIP funded partner stores. CSA Develop and deploy outreach campaigns throughout 2023 main season and winter season, both for farmers and for consumers. Translate program material into Spanish and other languages (both recruitment material, as well as sign-up forms). Promote program at annual Share Fair event and during CSA Week; enable members to sign up at Share Fair. Continue new farm recruitment Travel to other regions of state to educate farmers and consumers about the program Program Evaluation Collect interview and focus group data from CSA and grocery program participants Construct final datasets for Period 1 and a multi-year dataset for participant survey data Create site reports and datasets from Period 1 for implementing organizations to directly use for program evaluation and responsive design Finalize a data dashboard including Period 1 data Conduct and analyze Period 2 participant surveys Distribute additional outputs from data collection (e.g., manuscripts, reports, etc)
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) Oregon is a statewide SNAP incentive program with a history of success, and has been coordinated by Farmers Market Fund (FMF) since 2015. For every dollar of SNAP spent on eligible products at participating sites, shoppers receive an additional dollar of DUFB to spend on local fruits and vegetables. Participating outlets include farmers markets, grocery stores, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers across Oregon. In Period 1, we increased the daily DUFB match incentive from $10 to $20 at all grocery stores and farmers markets, and increased the maximum DUFB match incentive on CSA shares to $250. This change better served participants dealing with the impacts of the COVID pandemic and high food costs. We reduced barriers to participation by providing nearly $79,000 in funding to 63 farmers markets to support non-incentive expenses, including innovative, community-specific outreach strategies. DUFB Oregon program served 75 farmers markets, 39 CSA farms, and 25 grocery stores in 27 of Oregon's 36 counties during Period 1, distributing $2,376,465 of DUFB, of which $1,847,890 was redeemed. This project has greatly expanded the reach and impact of DUFB Oregon, bringing greater geographic availability, a significant increase in number of users and incentives redeemed, greater economic impact to farmers, and increased food security to users. Goal 1: Address the immediate food security needs of Oregon SNAP participants by significantly expanding the number of sites participating in DUFB and increasing those sites' daily matching limits from $10 to $20. Activities: In Period 1, GusCRR funds enabled an increase of the daily DUFB match limit from $10 to $20 at all participating farmers markets and grocery stores. The match limit was increased to $125 for CSA half shares and $250 for CSA full shares. This impacted 75 farmers markets, 39 CSA farms, and 25 grocery stores in 27 of Oregon's 36 counties. FMF staff conducted outreach to 19 markets to encourage participation. FMF created flyers and posters in 5 languages to bring SNAP shoppers to markets, distributing them statewide, and conducted print and social media advertising campaigns. Oregon Food Bank (OFB) identified 70 prospective culturally-specific and BIPOC owned grocers and completed partnership development visits to 15 of them. OFB translated materials into 8 languages to support in-store promotion and outreach. Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (PNWCSA) ran outreach campaigns via social media, newsletter, and handouts. New participating CSA farmers were recruited through an outreach campaign targeting Central Oregon. Data: All outlets collected the required GusCRR core metrics monthly, and reported total SNAP and incentives issued and redeemed by program participants; total SNAP and incentive transactions; total participants; and other transaction-level data. Surveys conducted by Oregon State University (OSU), as well as surveys collected by FMF and farmers markets, provide food security data. Statistics: In Period 1, farmers markets reported $1,095,021 in produce purchased with DUFB, a 121% increase over the same period in 2020-21. The total number of DUFB transactions increased by 46% and the number of shoppers using their SNAP benefits for the first time increased 54%. Participating grocery stores issued $1,106,465 in DUFB incentives, with $703,026 redeemed through 70,389 transactions for a 63% redemption rate. DUFB redemption increased 386% over the same period in 2020-21. Of the total DUFB redeemed, $214,880 (30.6%) was purchased from culturally-specific and BIPOC-owned retailers. CSA farmers reported $49,843 in produce purchased with SNAP incentives via 809 transactions, a 15% increase over 2021 levels. CSA farmers reported 386 shares purchased using DUFB, a 20% increase over 2021 levels. Seven new farmers markets and 22 new CSA farms joined DUFB in Period 1, with respective totals of 75 farmers markets and 39 CSA farms participating in the program. Eight new grocers joined DUFB in Period 1, 6 of them culturally-specific and/or BIPOC-owned, bringing total participating stores to 25. FMF and partner farmers markets collected 266 participant surveys in summer 2022. Of those respondents, 223 (83.83%) agree or strongly agree the DUFB daily match increase from $10 to $20 made it easier for them and others in their household to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Among 451 farmers market participants surveyed by OSU in 2022, only 15.8% of first-time participants were food secure, while 31.5% of participants who had been using the program for less than six months were food secure, and 52.7% of participants who had been using the program for more than six months were food secure. Outcomes: Program and evaluation data indicates that the increase of the daily incentive match limit from $10 to $20 significantly increased program use and participation during Period 1 across all outlet types. This increase brought new participants into the program; increased the average transaction amount; increased SNAP usage; and dramatically increased incentives redeemed. The increase, as well as program recruitment and outreach, significantly increased the number of participating outlets, as well as their geographic range. Further, two separate sets of survey results show significant positive impacts of the program on participant food security levels. Goal 2: Reduce barriers to participation in the DUFB program for both firms and shoppers. Activities: In Spring 2022, FMF launched a pilot support program for farmers markets to provide funding for non-incentive expenses related to DUFB program implementation. These funds were used by markets throughout Oregon to increase market capacity to operate these programs, improve participant experience accessing the program, and implement expanded, community-centered outreach campaigns, as well as greater outreach to underserved communities. In Period 1, OFB recruited 8 DUFB Ambassadors representing Latinx, Somali, Chinese, Iu Mien, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA2S communities to participate in the 2022 Ambassador cohort. These Ambassadors engaged in a variety of outreach efforts, including the creation of a Spanish "DUFB 101" PowerPoint presentation for outreach purposes; participation in an online event hosted by SEIU that reached 30,000 workers; attendance at 20+ public events, at which Ambassadors distributed DUFB materials to SNAP participants; a DUFB-themed sticker marketing campaign promoting the program to the LGBTQIA2S community; creation of multilingual, culturally relevant DUFB marketing and outreach materials, and distribution of 1,000+ bus tickets to SNAP shoppers to lift transportation barriers to participating DUFB outlets. Data: FMF tracked the amount of funding provided to farmers markets and the number of markets receiving support. OFB tracked the number of DUFB Ambassadors serving during Period 1, as well as statistics related to outreach efforts. Statistics: FMF's support program for farmers markets provided nearly $79,000 in funding to 63 farmers markets to support projects as described above. A total of 12 Ambassadors completed 143 hours of meeting activities comprising 64 individual Ambassador meetings and 12 group meetings. Ambassadors distributed 5,100 pieces of outreach materials. Outcomes: FMF's farmers market support program provided significant and impactful support to markets, increasing capacity for continued market participation in DUFB, as well as the onboarding of new markets. Anecdotal market feedback indicates that many markets-particularly smaller and more rural ones-are more likely to participate in the program due to these support funds. Additional program evaluation will be available in Period 2. OFB's DUFB Ambassador program provided critical outreach to high-need communities. Ambassadors facilitated creation of multilingual, culturally relevant DUFB marketing and outreach materials.
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