Progress 08/01/21 to 07/25/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience We collected data from 1058 people comprising a cross-section of the SNAP recipients receiving incentives at some point in the years of funding. Participants came from 44 different zip codes across the Chicago community areas. The top zip codes that participants live in are 60622 (48%), 60651 (16.7%) 60647 (16.6%) and 60639 (6.2%). Of participants surveyed, 87.5% identified as Hispanic, Latino/a, or of Spanish origin and 13% considered themselves Black or African American. These two populations suffered the highest mortality rates from COVID in Chicago. The gender of people attending the West Town Health Market programs were 69% identified as women, 26% identified as men, 0.5% identified as transgender, 0.3% identified as MTF and 4.5% preferred not to answer. Of the 965 participants who responded to the question "Do you speak a language other than English at home?" 63.2% (610) said yes and 36.8% (355) said no. There are two items from the survey which relate to fruit and vegetable consumption in the last 30 days. The responses to the survey indicate that on average, participants consume fruits 2 or less times per day and vegetables 2 or less times per day. In 2021, participants surveyed were asked questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their lives and eating habits. The mode response is that participants agree that COVID-19 has made it hard for them and others in their household to make ends meet and to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Of the 994 participants that answered this question, 52% percent of respondents described their health as fair or poor, 33% as good, and 12.5% as very good or excellent. Overall, the participants rated their experience with the WTHM as 78% of participants had a "Very Positive " or "Positive" experience with West Town Health Market, 5% had a "Neutral" experience, and 1% had a "Negative" or "Very Negative" experience and 16% "Don't Know/Prefer Not to Answer". Changes/Problems:Changes/Problems The program coordinator, Celia Gonzalez, served as the farmers market manager from August 1, 2021 until she retired on January 28, 2022. A new program/farmers market manager, Clarence Howard, was hired and trained by Ms. Gonzalez for two weeks. Ms. Gonzalez returned in late May to insure adequate knowledge transfer and assist Mr. Howard with the farmers market. Ms. Gonzalez remained as a consultant and a bi-lingual interpreter. The project director, Lisa Stevak, last day was on May 7, 2024 and with her departure, some of the data was unattainable. Celia Gonzalez became the official replacement for the project director on June 4, 2024 until the grant completion on July 31, 2024. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The PD attended the National Grocers Association 2022 Show to learn more about brick and mortar partnerships. The PD attended the Nutrition Incentive Hub's 2023 National Convening on June 6-8, 2023 to learn from a national network of nutrition incentive and produce prescription practitioners, funders, policymakers, and technology providers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The Nutrition Videos were added on social media sites for community members to view. Collaborated with the Austin Market as well as collaborated, shared best-practices, and assisted with the opening of the North Lawndale Community Market. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? This is the final year of the grant, but the WTHM staff shared best-practices with the personnel at the North Lawndale Community Market to assist with opening their farmer's community market.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
What was accomplished under these goals? We are pleased to report the accomplishments West Town Health Market (WTHM) has made toward achieving our overall goal to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables (F/V) by consumers participating in SNAP. In year one, WTHM made progress on all six objectives and one was on track to attain all outcomes. Over 4,866 people participated in WTHM incentive programs. Eleven local/regional farms and vendors participated in the Summer Season Farmers Market and one independent retail grocery store accepted incentives during our inaugural Winter Season. Voucher redemption rate was 82% for Food Bucks and 106% for Triple Value Match incentives. Triple Value increased 40% compared to the same reporting period in 2021, surpassing our goal of 20%. In year two, WTHM made progress on all six objectives. Over 4096 people participated in WTHM incentive. Eleven local/regional farms and vendors participated in the Summer Market and one independent retail grocery store accepted incentives during our Winter Season. Voucher redemption rate was 96% for Food Bucks and 55% for Triple Value Match incentives. Triple Value Match with EBT cards decreased compared to the same reporting period in 2021 due to issues with the EBT machine, but surpassed our goal of 20%. In year three, WTHM achieved all six objective outcomes.Over 6256 people participated in WTHM incentive programs. Twelve local/regional farms and vendors participated in the Summer Season and four independent retail grocery stores accepted incentives during our Winter Season. Voucher redemption rate was 121%, Food Bucks and 76% for Triple Value Match incentives, with EBT card increased compared to the same reporting period in 2022, surpassing our goal of 20%. Progress Toward Objectives (1). Expand Access to Locally Sourced, Culturally Appropriate Fresh Produce • WTHM held 21 farmer's markets during the first year of this grant--one more than our annual target! The WTHM maintained 20 farmer's markets each subsequent year of the grant. • WTHM initiated a "Winter Season" (called off season in grant application) during October 2022 through March 2023, which expanded access to incentives for fresh produce by 50%. The WInter season during December 2023 through June 2024 increased access to fresh produce six-fold. • The 6-month Winter Season in 2022-2023 allowed the project to offer incentives for 10 months during the year instead of only 5 months during the Summer Season with the farmers markets. In the 2023 through 2024 Winter Season, the project expanded from December 2023 to June 2024. • In 2022-2023, WTHM partnered with one brick and mortar local retail grocery store, Cermak Produce, for the "Winter Season." This represents 25% progress toward the target of four stores by the end of the funding period. In the WInter season December 2023-June 2024, the Chicago grocery store partners included: Cermak Produce 2701 W. North Avenue, 60647 WTHM also partnered with 3 Albertsons/Jewel stores to offer a digital incentive to purchase $10 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables each month after a $5 spend on produce using a Link Card. The grocery store partners included: • Jewel Osco 2520 N. Narragansett Avenue, 60639 • Jewel Osco 1341 N. Paulina Street, 60622 • Jewel Osco 438 W. Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302 (to serve the Austin community 60644) This met the target goal of four brick and mortar local retail grocery stores to expand access to fresh produce. (2) Increase Produce to Meet Range of Consumer Preferences • All of the WTHM vendors offer fruits and vegetables preferred by customers. • Three firms specifically offer F/V found in Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean diets. This is 66% increase from one firm in the previous funding period to three firms for each subsequent year. (3) Offer 2 Types of Nutrition Incentives • WTHM distributed $65,535 in Food Bucks and Triple Value SNAP Match incentives as described in our proposal in the 2021 season. In 2022, WTHM distributed $72,271 in Food Bucks and $11,560 in Triple Value SNAP Match incentives. In 2023, WTHM distributed $104,477 in Food Bucks and $22,736 in Triple Value SNAP Match incentives. In 2024, the Winter Season from January through June WTHM distributed $38,090 in Food Bucks. (4) Improve F/V Consumption and Nutrition Related Skills and Behaviors Via Healthy Cooking Demonstrations and Nutrition Sessions • In the first year, registered dieticians provided 20 cooking and nutrition talks during the Summer Season. SNAP shoppers received the recipe and had the opportunity to sample the food prepared. From the 716 intention cards collected, 83% or 603 people indicated they would make the featured recipe at home. In the second year, registered dieticians provided 14 cooking demonstrations during the Summer Season. There were 2 weather advisories on June 29, 2023 and July 27, 2023. From the 781 intention cards collected, 91% or 711 people indicated they would make the featured recipe at home. In the third year, registered dieticians provided 14 cooking demonstrations. There was one weather advisory on August 24, 2023. From the 735 intention cards collected, 94% or 688 people indicated they would make the featured recipe at home. Each year showed improvement of fruit and vegetable consumption. • In the first year, registered dieticians partnered with family medicine residents to teach 6 healthy eating classes which explained how diet contributed to physical, mental, and social well-being. Health topics included hypertension, diabetes, obesity/overweight, depression/anxiety, cholesterol, and building muscle mass. Each class contained a recipe and eating tips related to the health topic. Ninety people attended the healthy eating classes. • In the first year, the recipes have been posted on partner PrimeCare Community Health Center's social media sites and the WTHM staff collaborated with vendors. In the subsequent years, more videos were added onto social media sites such as YouTube and Instagram. In total, there were 28 videos with 12,352 views. (5) Recruit SNAP Beneficiaries from COVID High-Vulnerability Areas • At the beginning of the grant, forty-seven percent of SNAP beneficiaries accessing incentives through WTHM programs reside in COVID high-vulnerability areas. Data collected from SNAP recipients indicate individuals come from 35 different zip codes across the Chicago community areas and nearby suburbs. The top three zip codes that participants live in are 60622 (28%), 60651 (24%) and 60647 (16%). 60651 and 60647 include Humboldt Park and Austin, two COVID high-vulnerability community areas. Seven percent of SNAP shoppers live in 60639, which includes Belmont Cragin and Hermosa, two of the targeted areas. This last year of the grant indicated that individuals came from 45 different zip codes and surrounding suburbs. The top zip codes that participants live in are 60622 (48%), 60651 (16.7%) 60647 (16.6%) and 60639 (6.2%). • Of participants surveyed, 87.5% identified as Hispanic, Latino/a, or of Spanish origin and 13% considered themselves Black or African American. These two populations suffered the highest mortality rates from COVID in Chicago. (6) Augment Access to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables and Incentives by Partnering with 4 Local Grocery Stores Open Year-Round in High Food Insecurity Areas • WTHM partnered with one brick and mortar local grocery store, Cermak Produce located at 2701 W. North Avenue, Chicago, IL. This store is open 7:00 am to 9:00 pm seven days a week, except for some national holidays. •,WTHM staff established a partnership with Albertsons/Jewel to include three additional brick and mortar local grocery stores located at: • Jewel Osco 2520 N. Narragansett Avenue, 60639 • Jewel Osco 1341 N. Paulina Street, 60622 • Jewel Osco 438 W. Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302
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Progress 08/01/22 to 07/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The West Town Health Market (WTHM) continues to serve all people who receive SNAP benefits. Per our GusCRR grant goals, our target audience geographically continues to be SNAP recipients who live in the five (5) Chicago community areas (West Town, Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Hermosa, and Belmont Cragin, primarily represented by the following zip codes: 60622, 60639, 60647, and 60651. Although data collected from SNAP recipients indicate individuals come from 44 different zip codes across the Chicago community areas and nearby suburbs in Cook County, as well as towns in DuPage, Kendall, and Kane Counties, the top three zip codes in which participants reside are 60622 (25%), 60651 (18%) and 60647 (15%). Nine percent of SNAP shoppers live in 60639, which includes Belmont Cragin and Hermosa, two of the targeted areas. This was a two percent increase from the previous year. Overall, 40% of participants came from high vulnerability community areas where residents were almost 3 times more likely to have died from COVID-19 compared to low-vulnerability community areas. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, we anticipate increasing participation from SNAP recipients living in the 60639 and 60651 zip codes because of the location of our brick and mortar grocery store partners, new partnerships with 3 food pantries serving these zip codes, and increasing the size of the video library of healthy eating classes and recipes hosted by project FQHC partner, PrimeCare Community Health Center.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
(1) Expand Access to Locally Sourced, Culturally Appropriate Fresh Produce WTHM held 20 farmers market during the second year of this grant. WTHM expanded our "Winter Season" (called off season in grant application) during November-April, an addition of one month compared to last year 50%. The 6-month Winter Season allows the project to offer incentives 11 months during the year instead of only 10 months in year 1, a 10% increase from the previous year. WTHM partnered with five (5) brick and mortar local retail grocery stores, Cermak Produce and 4 locations of Carnicerías Jimenez, during the Winter Season. This represents 125% attainment of our project goal of 4 stores. We are currently in conversation to add an additional 3 supermarkets to the Winter Season and expect to surpass our original goal by attaining double the number of stores anticipated. (2) Increase Produce to Meet Range of Consumer Preferences All of the WTHM vendors offer fruits and vegetables preferred by customers. Ten firms specifically offer F/V found in Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean diets. This is a 330% increase from three (3) firms in the previous year. (3) Offer 2 Types of Nutrition Incentives WTHM distributed $116,400 in Food Bucks and Triple Value SNAP Match incentives as described in our proposal. Triple Value Match with EBT increased 32% compared with last year, surpassing our goal of 20%. (4) Improve F/V Consumption and Nutrition Related Skills and Behaviors Via Healthy Cooking Demonstrations and Nutrition Sessions Registered dieticians provided 20 cooking and nutrition talks during the Summer Season. SNAP shoppers received the recipe and had the opportunity to sample the food prepared. From the 410 intention cards collected, 90% or 369 people indicated they would make the featured recipe at home. Registered dieticians partnered with family medicine residents to teach 4 healthy eating classes which explained how diet contributed to physical, mental, and social well-being. Health topics included hypertension, diabetes, obesity/overweight, depression/anxiety, cholesterol, and building muscle mass. Each class contained a recipe and eating tips related to the health topic. Forty (40) people attended the healthy eating classes. The recipes have been posted on partner PrimeCare Community Health Center's social media sites while WTHM staff collaborate with Ascension Illinois staff to develop an online nutrition library. (5) Recruit SNAP Beneficiaries from COVID High-Vulnerability Areas Forty (40) percent of SNAP beneficiaries accessing incentives through WTHM programs reside in COVID high-vulnerability areas. Data collected from SNAP recipients indicate individuals come from 44 different zip codes across the Chicago community areas and nearby suburbs in Cook County, as well as towns in DuPage, Kendall, and Kane Counties. The West Town Health Market has become a de facto regional project. Of participants surveyed, 75.2% identified as Hispanic, Latino/a, or of Spanish origin and 19% considered themselves Black or African American. These two populations suffered the highest mortality rates from COVID in Chicago. (6) Augment Access to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables and Incentives by Partnering with 4 Local Grocery Stores Open Year-Round in High Food Insecurity Areas We have successfully partnered with five (5) brick and mortar local grocery stores and have surpassed our goal by 125%. Cermak Produce, 2701 W. North Avenue, Chicago, IL, serves West Town, Logan Square, Hermosa, and Humboldt Park. Carnicerías Jimenez, 4204 W. North Avenue, 60639 in Humboldt Park, 3850 W. North Avenue, 60647 in Hermosa; 3850 W. Fullerton Avenue, 60647 in Logan Square on the border of Hermosa, and 5330 W. Belmont Avenue, 60641 in Belmont Cragin. Stores are generally open 7:00 am to 9:00 pm seven days a week, except for some national holidays. We are in discussions with a national grocery chain to establish partnerships at three (3) additional stores. (7) Please note, objective 7 was removed from the project per GusCRR guidelines.
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Progress 08/01/21 to 07/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:We collected data from 222 people comprising a cross-section of the SNAP recipients receiving incentives at some point in the first year of funding. Participants came from 35 different zip codes across the Chicago community areas. The top three zip codes that participants live in are 60622 (28%), 60651 (24%) and 60647 (16%). Of participants surveyed, 71.5% identified as Hispanic, Latino/a, or of Spanish origin. The average age of people attending the West Town Health Market programs is 54 years old and 66% of participants identify as women. The categories of race and ethnicity continue to be a challenge to measure as many people prefer not to answer, do not know how to answer these questions, answer only one of the questions, or pick multiple races/ethnicities. Only 127 participants (57%) chose a race, while 197 participants (94%) reported their ethnicity. The majority of West Town Health Market program participants are Hispanic (71.5%). Racially, 32% of participants identify as White, 17% Black or African American, 2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 4% as Hispanic (although it wasn't provided as an option). Of the 116 participants who responded to the question "Do you speak a language other than English at home?", 78% (90) said yes and 22% (26) said no. There are two items from the survey which relate to fruit and vegetable consumption in the last 30 days. The responses to the survey indicate that on average, participants consume fruits 3-4 times per week and vegetables 2-3 times per week. Participants surveyed were asked questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their lives and eating habits. Themode response is that participants agree that COVID-19 has made it hard for them and others in their household to make ends meet and to get fresh fruits and vegetables. Forty percent of respondents described their health as fair or poor, 42% as good, and 18% as very good or excelent. While 28% of participants used the West Town Health Market incentives for the first time ever when they completed the survey, another 28% of participants have been using the market's incentives for between 2-5 years.94% of participants have had a "Very Positive " or"Positive" experience with West Town Health Market, 4% have had a "Neutral" experience, and 2% have had a "Negative" or"Very Negative" experience. Changes/Problems:The program coordinator, Celia Gonzalez,served as the farmers market manager from August 1, 2021 until sheretired on January 28, 2022. A new program coordinator/farmers market manager, Clarence Howard, was hired and trained by Ms. Gonzalez for two weeks. Ms. Gonzalez returned in late May to insure adequate knowledge transfer and assist Mr. Howard with the farmers market. We anticipate this is a one-time occurance now that Mr. Howard has acquired the skills needed to report firm data, manage the farmers market, and assist the project director with the winter season. Per our EBT provider, Healthy Ways, we learned the USDA inexplicably deauthorized our SNAP permit number sometime between November 2021 and May 2022. We never received any physical correspondence, although it was suggested an email had been sent to Celia Gonzalez, but never recieved because she had retired. This caused a delay in distributing triple value match incentives during the month of June and the first half of July 2022. A new permit number was authorizedin July 2022. We have modified our program checklist andcommunication outreach to ensure our SNAP permit number and EBT equipment remain functional throughout the funding period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The PD attended the National Grocers Association 2022 Show to learn more about brick and mortar partnerships. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, we anticipate increasing community outreach to attract more SNAP recipients from the 60639 zip code, expanding brick and mortar partnerships to an additional two grocery stores for our winter season, adding two new firms to the summer season farmers market, and creating a video library of healthy eating classes and recipes.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We are pleased to report the accomplishments West Town Health Market (WTHM) has made toward achieving our overall goal to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables (F/V) by consumers participating in SNAP. In year one, WTHM made progress on all six objectives and is one track to attain all outcomes. Over 4,866 people participated in WTHM incentive programs. Eleven local/regional farms and vendors participated in the Summer Season Farmers Market and one independent retail grocery store accepted incentives during our inaugural Winter Season. Voucher redemption rate was 82% for Food Bucks and 106% for Triple Value Match incentives. Triple Value Match with EBT card increased 40% compared to the same reporting period in 2021, surpassing our goal of 20%. Progress Toward Objectives Expand Access to Locally Sourced, Culturally Appropriate Fresh Produce WTHM held 21 farmers market during the first year of this grant--one more than our annual target! WTHM initiated a "Winter Season" (called off season in grant application) during November-March, which expanded access to incentives for fresh produce by 50%. The 5-month Winter Season allows the project to offer incentives 10 months during the year instead of only 5 months during the Summer Season with the farmers markets. WTHM partnered with one brick and mortar local retail grocery store, Cermak Produce, for the "Winter Season." This represents 25% progress toward the target of four stores by the end of the funding period. (2) Increase Produce to Meet Range of Consumer Preferences All of the WTHM vendors offer fruits and vegetables preferred by customers. Three firms specifically offer F/V found in Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean diets. This is 66% increase from one firm in the previous funding period to three firms. (3) Offer 2 Types of Nutrition Incentives WTHM distributed $65,535 in Food Bucks and Triple Value SNAP Match incentives as described in our proposal. (4) Improve F/V Consumption and Nutrition Related Skills and Behaviors Via Healthy Cooking Demonstrations and Nutrition Sessions Registered dieticians provided 20 cooking and nutrition talks during the Summer Season. SNAP shoppers received the recipe and had the opportunity to sample the food prepared. From the 716 intention cards collected, 83% or 603 people indicated they would make the featured recipe at home. Registered dieticians partnered with family medicine residents to teach 6 healthy eating classes which explained how diet contributed to physical, mental, and social well-being. Health topics included hypertension, diabetes, obesity/overweight, depression/anxiety, cholesterol, and building muscle mass. Each class contained a recipe and eating tips related to the health topic. Ninety people attended the healthy eating classes. The recipes have been posted on partner PrimeCare Community Health Center's social media sites while WTHM staff collaborate with Ascension Illinois staff to develop an online nutrition library. (5) Recruit SNAP Beneficiaries from COVID High-Vulnerability Areas Forty-seven percent of SNAP beneficiaries accessing incentives through WTHM programs reside in COVID high-vulnerability areas. Data collected from SNAP recipients indicate individuals come from 35 different zip codes across the Chicago community areas and nearby suburbs. The top three zip codes that participants live in are 60622 (28%), 60651 (24%) and 60647 (16%). 60651 and 60647 include Humboldt Park and Austin, two COVID high-vulnerability community areas. Seven percent of SNAP shoppers live in 60639, which includes Belmont Cragin and Hermosa, two of the targeted areas. In year 2 of the grant, we will increase outreach efforts in zip code 60639. Of participants surveyed, 71.5% identified as Hispanic, Latino/a, or of Spanish origin and 17% considered themselves Black or African American. These two populations suffered the highest mortality rates from COVID in Chicago. (6) Augment Access to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables and Incentives by Partnering with 4 Local Grocery Stores Open Year-Round in High Food Insecurity Areas We have successfully partnered with one brick and mortar local grocery store, Cermak Produce located at 2701 W. North Avenue, Chicago, IL. This store is open 7:00 am to 9:00 pm seven days a week, except for some national holidays. WTHM staff are in discussions with two additional stores to establish partnerships.
Publications
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