Progress 11/01/23 to 10/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for our work on this grant project is people experiencing food insecurity in southern Maine. Preble Street's Food Security Hub (FSH) processed 128,155 pounds of fresh produce in Year 2, used with other ingredients in 1,428 prepared meals per day and 381, 244 pantry meals in Year 2, for approximately 10, 493 people, thereby increasing food security for people, including among the most vulnerable in southern Maine. Approximately 238 meals per day, or 7,140 meals per month, were served to New Mainers (immigrants, asylees, or refugees). Changes/Problems:The FSH has been under construction for the entire Year 2 grant period, which slowed the ramp-up of the number of meals the facility can produce. FSH will be completed in Year 3, providing critical storage space for preserved local community produce. In Year 3, we will also look for ways to increase the number of local farm producers from 20 to 40 producers. One challenge is that the NIFA CFP grant funding was requested to support equipment purchases but not the direct purchase of local farm produce. We have exhausted entities and local farm producers that provide local community farm produce for free or below market costs and, at times, are limited in the number of meals we can produce by the amount of food we take in. In Year 3, we must increase the number of local community partners and seek innovative ways to fund local community partners for the produce they produce. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Although hampered by construction delays, the Food Security Hub continued ongoing training to utilize the equipment purchased under the grant fully. An initial challenge was proper training and manuals to assist FSH staff and the extensive network of FSH volunteers to maximize equipment utilization. To meet this need, a Cleaning and Maintenance Equipment Guide and Equipment Manuals Resource Bank were developed to assist FSH staff and our extensive volunteers in ensuring the equipment's ongoing efficient use and upkeep. The FSH staff and volunteers are trained in equipment utilization and ongoing data collection to demonstrate the effectiveness of local produce in prepared meals. All the data collection sheets contain the date, net weight of the produce (outgoing/waste/preservation), and staff initials of those who recorded the entry. The outgoing log sheet includes the destination of the produce, the waste log sheet consists of a baseline weight for the compost bin, which is 35 pounds, and the reason that the food became waste, such as "expired" or "food scraps." Lastly, the preservation log sheet includes a section identifying the preservation method used, such as freezing, blanching, pickling, vacuum-sealing, and jamming. We then enter this data into a spreadsheet and share monthly updates with the FSH staff. We will continue using these sheets to ensure we maintain our goals in Year 3. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We disseminated our results through multiple modalities, including in-person engagement, newsletters, and social media. To benchmark local produce utilization in the FSH's redistribution of produce through our food box program, FSH's Hunger VISTA volunteer, Macey Musto, developed a survey and distributed 250 flyers in outgoing food boxes to gather client feedback on utilizing emergency food boxes. The survey also inquired about engagement and participation in SNAP to gauge ways to enhance outreach, education, and enrollment in the SNAP program. The results were shared with the FSH to inform further program development. Since many clients responded that they use SNAP benefits, we created materials for clients accessing underutilized SNAP benefits. This educational material included information on obtaining free Lifeline support phones, free access to museums, and discounts at farmers' markets. Due to Maine's snow and ice storms of December 2023 and January 2024, extensive outreach was conducted to clients and caseworkers about emergency SNAP replacement benefits for food lost during these storms. During this reporting period, we created over 20 culturally appropriate recipe cards to support clients in preparing nutritious meals from local produce distributed through the FSH pantry. These recipe cards guide clients in preparing balanced meals using local produce while factoring in preparation and cooking time, ingredients, and accessibility to cooking equipment. The recipes are culturally appropriate, with clear nutritional information and labels. Additionally, many of these recipes indicated the religious designation of Halal or Kosher due to the community's religious diversity. These materials are available online (Recipes), in print, and distributed through food boxes. During the summer, two Bowdoin College Fellows worked alongside the Hunger VISTA volunteer to educate the community about the SUN Bucks Program, which aims to address summer hunger among Maine families. The Fellows and the VISTA volunteer wrote an article (Families eligible for one-time summer EBT benefit) about the program for Preble Street's website. They also created flyers to share with other organizations, such as White Memorial Pantry, St. Vincent de Paul Middletown, St Luke's Cathedral - Food Pantry, Sacred Heart - St Dominic Food Pantry, Project FEED Food Pantry, First Baptist Church Food Pantry, Stroudwater Food Pantry, Front Street Community Center Food Pantry, Commonspace, YMCA, Catholic Charities, MIRC (Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition), The Boys and Girls Club, and ILAP (Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project). To enrich the outreach and educational component of the grant, a Preble Street Advocacy team member, Annika Moore, attended the Hunger Leaders Meeting in November in Washington, D.C., organized by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). This meeting was an opportunity to share strategies with similar organizations and learn best practices such as introducing local farm produce into the emergency food system and SNAP outreach, education, and advocacy. Special emphasis was placed on learning national best practices for integrating people with lived experience into the critical processes of the emergency food delivery system. In Year 1 of this grant, Preble Street facilitated a Food Justice Coalition (FJC) comprised of people who lived experiences of food insecurity. It was formed on a core belief that people directly impacted by food insecurity should guide the development of policies and programs that address it. This coalition increases the representation of individuals with lived experience of food insecurity in advising Preble Street's FSH on developing and improving food programs. In Year 2, FJC engagement was hampered by staffing turnover and capacity since this animating staffing role was vacant. Due to achieving full staffing at the end of Year 2, we are re-engaging and reimagining the FJC to be more effective, and we are confident that the group will be robustly engaged in providing feedback and giving valuable advice to the FSH. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, Preble Street will focus on making significant improvements that will enhance the preservation of local produce, including the installation of cold storage units, drains, and electrical systems, along with a new kitchen, dishwasher room, and office to improve and increase food preservation and the number of meals served to our community. Additionally, we will continue monitoring, tracking, and reducing food waste, strengthening community partnerships, and increasing produce preservation per established data collection protocols. While this grant does not support the capital expenses to renovate Preble Street's FSH, the capital renovation will significantly impact the increased utilization of local produce in prepared meals. We will strengthen the FJC by creating regularly scheduled focus groups that will directly provide feedback and assist with outreach and education. There is continuity with a recent hire for the Community Organizer position at the end of Year 2, tasked with re-energizing FJC. Preble Street will also facilitate editing and review of the draft USM peer-reviewed article. As mentioned previously, the study evaluated the use of the tracking system developed at the FSH and how this practice improved accountability, efficiency, and supplier transparency. The study showed that tracking systems enhance produce use, reduce food waste, and support food security. We will assist the USM team in identifying viable publications and presentation opportunities for publishing this research article. Preble Street will also identify new local community farm partners that can increase the volume of produce received and utilized in prepared meals and redistribution. It will also train and leverage FSH staff and volunteers to fully integrate and utilize the preservation equipment when there is an overflow of local farm produce so that the local produce is preserved and stored for twelve months for future prepared meals.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Preble Street has significantly expanded its capacity to provide meals and support food security in our community thanks to this USDA NIFA CFP grant funding. From November 1st, 2023, to October 31st, 2024, the Preble Street Food Security Hub (FSH) received 128,155 pounds of fresh produce from 20 dedicated community farm partners, serving an average of 42,923 prepared meals per month. This increased capacity allowed us to meet the growing demand for food in the community, especially for New Mainers (immigrants, asylees, or refugees), who received 85,680 meals this year. Of the 10,493 clients served in this reporting period, 59.6% identified as White, 34.6% identified as Black, 1% identified as Asian, 0.6% identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native, 0.1% identified as Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.4% identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native and White, 0.6% identified as Asian and White, 0.6% identified as Black and White, 0.1% identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native and Black, and 2.5% did not share their race. Approximately 67,392 pounds of fresh produce was used to prepare 515,087 meals in Year 2. We estimate that this grant preserved 8,550 pounds of this local produce through freezing, pickling, and blitzing equipment purchased. This was a significant achievement as the Food Security Hub space and ongoing kitchen construction experienced significant delays, with an anticipated completion date of October 2025. Preble Street redistributed 16,676 pounds of fresh produce to the Food Pantry and other Preble Street programs, including shelters that serve teens, women, and individuals with severe behavioral health needs and housing programs that serve chronically homeless individuals and a medical respite program for unhoused individuals. The FSH also provided produce to other community partners, including In Her Presence, Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, Homeless Services Center, Milestone Recovery, Greater Portland Family Promise, Access to Care MaineHealth, and the Quality Inn in Saco, temporary housing for an employment initiative for New Mainers. 35,537 pounds became either prep scrap (74.7%) or expired (25.3%). This ability to enhance the emergency food prepared meals was made possible by the support of 20 of our community farm partners, whose local produce contributions were essential in ensuring high-quality, locally produced food was incorporated into the emergency food system. These partners include Liberation Farms, Farms for Food Equity, Mainers Feeding Mainers, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Jordan Farm, Homestead Farm, Community Harvest, Native Maine, Cultivating Community, Oakhurst Dairy, 6 River Farms, Springworks Farm, Backyard Farm, Belanger & Son Farm, Green Spark Farm, Pineland Farms, Two Farmers Farm, Winslow Farm, and Emery Farm. Another significant accomplishment was implementing the process and rubric for measuring the weight of local produce at different stages, from raw to prepared meals. Along with tracking demographic information, we were able to track and manage the monthly local produce flow, including preservation, food waste, redistribution to other programs, and prepared meals. University of Southern Maine (USM) intern Lauren Mitchell, who participated in the USM Food Security Year 1 academic course, assisted with data collection and analysis throughout Year 2. After conducting a literature review, she collaboratively designed and implemented a tracking log system that allowed for comprehensive data collection, including the date and net weight of the produce at each stage of the process, including incoming produce, waste, redistributed produce, prepared meals, and preservation. Dr. Jamie Picardy, associate professor of Food Studies (and now Honors) at USM, worked with Lauren in analyzing data collected for a research article on rubrics for data collection systems utilizing fresh produce in emergency food systems. This study evaluates the use of the tracking system and how this practice improves accountability, efficiency, supplier transparency, and local produce utilization. The drafted study addresses the following research questions: RQ 1: How can fresh produce utilization tracking methods be implemented in a non-profit food security organization? RQ2: What is the fresh produce utilization, and how does utilization change with a tracking system? RQ 3: What barriers exist for fresh produce utilization and tracking? The draft article includes data collection and analytics to enhance produce used in prepared meals, reduce food waste, and support food security, which will be ready for peer-reviewed publication in Year 3 of this grant. Preble Street used grant funds to invest in essential equipment that enhanced our food preservation efforts, increased the nutritional value of our prepared meals, and minimized produce waste. We purchased a floor model food processor, blixer, dough sheeter, food packaging machine, and portioning machine, all critical in improving food preservation and operations. Overall, this grant has had a significantly positive impact, allowing us to provide food security, reduce waste, strengthen our community partnerships, and meet the increased needs of food-insecure impacted individuals in southern Maine.
Publications
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Progress 11/01/22 to 10/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:PS's Food Security Hub (FSH) processed 113,004 pounds of fresh produce in Year 1, used with other ingredients in 1,500 prepared meals per day and 1,000 grocery meals per day, thereby increasing food security for 2,500 people per day, including the most vulnerable in southern Maine. Approximately 300 meals per day, or 9,000 meals per month, are served to new Mainers (immigrants, asylees, or refugees). 41.5% of PS's food program clients are Black, mostly New Mainers. Changes/Problems:The one significant change was that Natalie Varallo, the project director for this grant, left Preble Street in October 2023. I was asked to substitute for Natalie as the project director. As Advocacy director for the agency, I was excited about this role due to my prior 25 years of professional experience in higher education and as Principal Investigator on a number of Federal grants during my tenure in higher education. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In spring 2023, under the faculty leadership of Dr. Jamie Picardy, Ph.D. University of Southern Maine's Food Studies and Honors Programs offered a three-credit academic course on "Food and Environment." 12USM students enrolled in the course. The course and subsequent summer 2023 literature review resulted in "Community Engagement Research Project Preble Street Food Security Hub," authored by Dr. Picardy and Lauren Mitchell in collaboration with Natalie Varrallo, Food Programs Director. That work product informed the metric and rubrics for FSH data collection and analysis in Year 1. It laid the foundation for the continued data collection and analysis in Year 2. The purchase of preservation equipment in Year 1 has led to training and the start of utilizing this game-changing preservation equipment. This training will continue and increase in Year 2 as the supply of fresh produce increases at the beginning of the federal fiscal year (October, November, and December) and again throughout the summer and into early fall. FSH leadership and staff consistently demonstrate the motivation to learn the operating features of the equipment to minimize produce waste while maximizing produce preservation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In January 2023, the Food Security Hub (FSH) and Maine Hunger Initiative (MHI) created a Food Justice Coalition (FJC). The FJC comprises people with lived experience of food insecurity staffed by a Maine Hunger Initiative (MHI) organizer. It was founded on a core belief that people directly impacted by food insecurity should guide the development of policies and programs that address it. This coalition increases the representation of individuals with lived experience of food insecurity in advising PS's FSH on the development and ongoing improvement of food programs.The allianceempowers people with lived experience to advocate for local, state, and federal policy solutions addressing food insecurity. FJC met twice a month throughout the spring of 2023, oriented around feedback about FSH food, food access in our community, and more significant food policy issues. For example, the FJC discussed the end of SNAP emergency allotments. This COVID-era program allowed all individuals receiving SNAP benefits to access higher benefits rates than before the pandemic. The end of these emergency benefits meant many individuals went from $200 a month in SNAP benefits to $25. This dramatic "cliff," as we often referred to it, left many individuals and families scrambling to fill the gap. One of our members, Lisa Franklin, was featured in the Portland Press Herald, discussing her experience with ending these benefits. The article, which can be found here, conveys the fear and apprehension felt by many Mainers as they faced the end of SNAP emergency allotments. To help people cope with these losses, the FJC worked to put together a list of additional food resources in our community and focused on outreach to connect food-insecure individuals and family members with PS FSH and other food resources. Members of the FJC also attended statewide events. One of them is the Maine Food Convergence. This event brings together food justice advocates from various professions (policy advocates, farmers, food bank volunteers, community organizers, etc.) to discuss food justice and food access in the State of Maine. FJC members attended panels, met other food justice advocates, and brought the information back to the group for discussion. Shortly after this, FJC members were fortunate to join the Food Programs team for a tour of Liberation Farms in Wales, Maine. Liberation Farms supplied the FSH with 16,748 pounds of tomatoes in Year 1. Run by the Somali Bantu Community Association, Liberation Farms centers food justice, community building, and education at the core of its mission. The FJC members were given a tour of the farm, informed about the importance of halal rituals in meat slaughtering, and were able to ask lots of questions about the farm's community-oriented model. These core values were demonstrated during the tour by a shared, delicious meal of kale, beets, sambusas, and roasted chicken from the farm. The FJC shifted its organizational model in the fall of 2023 because the work required more flexibility. In addition, feedback from clients receiving Preble Street food boxes and meals was enhanced, allowing us to understand the benefits and shortcomings of our food services approach. Overall, the FJC has served as a beneficial body for both FSH and the larger community, and we hope to continue finding new ways to expand the reach of our advocacy and engagement in the FSH with people who have experienced/are experiencing food insecurity. Preble Street utilized its social media networks throughout the grant period to educate and engage its audience to understand the impacts of nutritious, sustainably produced food and ways to combat food insecurity. Using Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, Preble Street shared how this USDA funding helped fill more grocery boxes for Mainers experiencing food insecurity, reduce waste in the food stream through better processing capabilities, and create hot, nutritious meals for people experiencing homelessness. Each channel allowed us to engage thousands of people and reach thousands more with educational content. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The biggest challenge in Year 1 was setting up the systems to minimize waste and increase the preservation of farm fresh produce in the meals and groceries prepared by the FSH. Evaluating the FSH's preservation, processing, and storage methods and establishing metrics to quantify these processes were completed, establishing a solid baseline for present FSH practice. During this design, there was tremendous support from FSH staff and volunteers to minimize waste and maximize preservation, which was extremely helpful. However, introducing an additional data collection process into an emergency food process requires an intuitive design, minimizing additional workload while achieving stated CFP goals. Both the preservation methods and data collection systems are now in place. In addition, the initial equipment has been purchased and delivered, and training has begun. We are excited to fully utilize the equipment to realize the outcomes for Year 2. The data collection system to capture quantitatively demonstrated Year 2 deliverables is operational. One of the initial data collection challenges was that the structure and content of invoices vary with each community farm partner. Electronic invoices lacked vital data, such as "Wt./Qt.", which interfered with obtaining the product's total weight. There is a lack of accounting standardization across community farm partners; for example, Liberation Farms will not send electronic invoices for individual products and will only send the total weight for the given period. Some products without "Wt./Qt." rely on volume units (e.g., bushels, pints, quarts) instead of weight units. Standard volume-to-weight conversion charts were used to remedy this and obtain the total weight (lbs.). In Year 2, we will work with community farm partners to request standardization of invoices to address this issue. In Year 2, as we expand farm community partnerships, we will design a rubric identifying essential qualities and mutually beneficial factors that will aid in developing future community farm partnerships. A final challenge was the delay due to the supply chain costs of renovating the FSH as initially projected. Capital costs dramatically increased from project planning to construction. PS FSH received $2m in capital funding due to incredible support from Maine state legislators, including Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross, and was included in last year's supplemental budget by Governor Janet Mills to renovate the FSH. PS is back on track with capital construction plans, with construction contracts to be signed soon.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Preble Street (PS) NiFA Community Food Programs grant has had a strong start in Year 1, successfully achieving all articulated deliverables. PS's Food Security Hub (FSH) processed 113,004 pounds of fresh produce in Year 1, used with other ingredients in 1,500 prepared meals per day and 1,000 grocery meals per day, thereby increasing food security for 2,500 people per day, including the most vulnerable in southern Maine. Approximately 300 meals per day, or 9,000 meals per month, are served to new Mainers (immigrants, asylees, or refugees). 41.5% of PS's food program clients are Black, mostly New Mainers. In Year 1, FSH created a system for data collection tracking metrics establishing a baseline of fresh farm produce conversion from community farm partners into emergency food assistance to be used for Year 2 data collection and analysis. We instituted rubrics and metrics to measure produce, waste, and preservation in our Food Security Hub (FSH) system. In Year 1, we purchased and started to utilize the array of preservation equipment. We successfully partnered with the University of Southern Maine Food Studies program and faculty, delivering a three-credit academic course, "Food and Environment: Community Engagement Research Project Preble Street Food Security Hub." USM finalized a literature review on Emergency Food Systems, Waste, and Preservation and hired an intern, Lauren Mitchell, who works closely with FSH staff to implement a rubric and metric system to weigh the produce, waste, and preservation. Preble Street Food Security Hub Community Farm Partners Year 1 (11/01/2022-10/31/2023) Table 1. Community Farm Partner Food System Role Product Total Weight of Produce Received (lbs.) Mainers Feeding Mainers (MFM)* Our partner, Good Shepherd Food Bank (GSFB), runs the state-wide community farm partnership program. Produce 36,657.9 Farms for Food Equity** Penny Jordan founded the community partnership program to supply Maine produce to pantries and food sites in Cumberland County. Produce 51,489.25 Community Harvest Directly paid, small-scale farm. Eggs 7,500 Liberation Farms Directly paid, small-scale farm. Produce 16,487 Homestead Farm Small-scale farm, quarterly donations. Meat 870 * GSFB partners with 90+ local food producers to supply local pantries with fresh local food. The specific farms we receive produce from through this program are Pineland Farms Dairy, Cultivating Community, Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, Circle B Farms, and Harvesting Good. ** FFE is a program founded by Penny Jordan, a local farm based in Cape Elizabeth, seeking to supply Maine produce to pantries and food sites in Cumberland County. The specific farms we receive produce from through this program are Belanger & Sons Farm, Carlin Family Farm, Green Spark Farm, Jordan's Farm, Maxwell Farm, Maine-ly Poultry, Sebago Lake Ranch, Six River Farm, Springworks, and Two Farmers Farm. The following preservation equipment was purchased in Year 1 and was starting to be used by FSH staff. Since this equipment was purchased in Year 1, the Year 2 progress report will demonstrate the equipment's utilization in the significant preservation of fresh produce from local community partners. The equipment included: Hollymatic R2200 Portioning (patty) machine Robot Coupe CL60WS Food Processor floor model Robot Coupe Blixer60 Harvest Right freeze dryer Doyon Baking Equipment LSA516 (dough sheeter) Invacus Henkelman Polar 2-50 COMBIVAC (vacuum sealer) The University of Southern Maine (USM) Food Studies Program/Honors Program has been a vital partner in PS's CFP grant. Professor Jamie Picardy, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Food Studies and Honors Programs, teamed up with Natalie Varallo, CFP project director and FSH director, on a three-credit academic course on Food and Science in spring 2023 (more details below). An outcome of that course was a Literature Review entitled: "Preble Street Food Security Hub Evaluation Metrics and Best Practices (attached)." Beginning in August 2023, Lauren Mitchell, a USM intern, is engaging in a year-long process to understand the efficacy of the current processing and preserving practices of community farm fresh produce in the emergency food distribution system in PS's FSH. Under the co-direction of Terence Miller, PS NiFA CFP project director, and Dr. Picardy, the project will result in a peer-reviewed journal article. The journal article will address the following research questions: Q1) How effective are fresh produce processing and preservation methods from community farm partners in the emergency food assistance system at Preble Street Food Security Hub? Q2) How much fresh produce from community farm partners contributes to the number of meals Preble Street Food Security Hub's kitchen distributes? Q3) How much fresh produce from community farm partners is allocated to the Preble Street Food Security Hub pantry? Q4) What qualities, or identification metrics, for community farm partnerships with Preble Street's Food Security Hub? It is evident that due to the NiFA awarded CFP PS's FSH aligns with a chief finding in the literature review: Food hubs, soup kitchens, and food pantries can pursue the value of elevating their clients' nutritional intake while simultaneously bolstering their community engagement through establishing community farm partners. Food hubs can increase access to healthy, fresh produce while economically supporting local agriculture (Avetysian & Ross, 2019, pp. 103). By identifying community farm partners, FSH can broaden access to several local community farms that their clients may not have access to (Matson et al., 2013, p. 25). When identifying which local farms to partner with, it is prudent that the farms are congruent with the operations of the food hub, such as size and scale, and share similar goals and values (Matson et al., 2013, pp. 46). Current literature suggests case studies as a means of identification, evaluation, and future development of community farm partnerships (Avetysian & Ross, 2019; Matson et al., 2013; Vitiello et al., 2014). Current practices of fresh produce procured from community farm partnerships usually are a result of commodity surplus, aesthetic imperfections, or dedicated resources, such as grow-a-row (Avetysian & Ross, 2019; Matson et al., 2013; Vitiello et al., 2014). While considering community farm partners and expanding these partnerships, consideration of different practices (e.g., gleaning, farming, gardening, grow-a-row, and direct sourcing) and their respective limitations should be considered (Vitiello et al., 2014, p. 421).
Publications
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