CASE STUDY DELIVERING FARM FRESH PRODUCE TO ...
DELIVERING FARM FRESH PRODUCE TO RESIDENTS OF LOW-INCOME HUD HOUSING PROJECTS CASE STUDY
QUICK SNAP SHOT WHO WHAT
Common Capital, Inc. Alliance to Develop Power Next Barn Over Farm
www.common-capital.org www.a-dp.org www.nextbarnover.com/about
Pilot program developed by Common Capital and Alliance to Develop Power (ADP) created a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) delivery program to four residential HUD housing projects managed by ADP.
CASE STUDY
OVERVIEW/STATEMENT OF NEED
A
s local, organic food becomes increasingly available in many communities via farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture farms (CSAs), and supermarkets, the focus has begun to shift to helping low-income communities afford and access the same high-quality, nutritious foods. Western Massachusetts, which is historically rich in fertile soil and has an abundance of small farms, is well positioned to address this issue with their own underserved communities. One example of increasing food access is a pilot program designed by Common Capital and the Alliance to Develop Power (ADP), which created a CSA delivery program to four residential HUD housing projects managed by ADP. The Pioneer Valley is comprised of mostly rural areas, small towns and pockets of urbanity, where significant low-income populations reside, including Springfield and Holyoke. Despite the close proximity of cities and farms in this area, an invisible wall (strangers, slow to come together) has existed between the two – urban areas and the rich local farmland surrounding them. Ironically, it is exactly their proximity and the urban areas’ population density that provide the opportunity to form lasting connections. The Alliance to Develop Power (ADP) maintains four section-8 housing complexes in the postindustrial cities of Springfield, Westfield and Greenfield; communities that began grassroots organizing in 1991. These vibrant immigrant and multi-cultural communities house 770 families and more than 80% of the residents in ADP housing
have an annual household income below $10,000. Many of the residents are unemployed and/or disabled. The ADP communities face multiple barriers to accessing fresh produce including: • Low quality grocery options, • Lack of proximity to farms and farmers markets, • Unfamiliarity with a wide variety of locally grown produce, as well as, • Limited transportation options. These are some of the main issues that the CSA program sought to address.
CASE STUDY
INITIAL PROGRAM METHODOLOGY
T
o start, Common Capital partnered with ADP and Next Barn Over, a farm located in Hadley, Massachusetts, which is within a half-hour drive of all four housing complexes. Common Capital loaned ADP the funds to finance the purchase of Next Barn Over’s CSA shares, in the spring 2012, thereby providing the capital to the farm up-front, which follows the traditional CSA model. This seed money provided by Common Capital was critical to providing the farmers with the funds they needed to order seeds and prepare for the growing season while giving ADP the opportunity to offer the CSA shares to community residents that could be purchased on a week-by-week basis. This made it easier for the residents to manage the purchases within their budgets. The pilot program offered sixty half-shares for the growing season and was part of ADP’s larger community health and wellness strategy. One of the guiding principles of the program was to create a distribution system that was weekly, reliable and provided dependable access to high quality produce. In addition, payment was accepted in the form of EBT, debit and credit card transactions. Next Barn Over Farm became a certified USDA SNAP retailer and two mobile EBT merchant terminals were provided to ADP. Since more than 80% of the residents in ADP housing have an annual household income below $10,000, a CSA that accepts SNAP was an essential component of the program. ADP was well positioned to host this pilot program as it had the population density to support a CSA distribution site at each of their four different locations. ADP also has the advantage of operating food pantries at each housing complex. All produce not sold through the CSA program was purchased by ADP and distributed to residents through the onsite food pantries. This ensured that residents were actually receiving the produce and none of it was going to waste. Food pantry recipients were able to benefit from having some nutritious organic produce, albeit much less than if they had purchased a CSA share. Another unique aspect of this program was the accessibility of the CSA shares to low-income people. The distribution sites were all centrally located in the housing complexes with two located in community centers and the other two sites located outdoors and each CSA distribution site was in walking distance of the entire community. Access to transportation, typically a barrier to accessing healthy foods for low-
income folks, was not an issue in the CSA program. In addition, these central locations had the potential to increase exposure as people picked-up food from the food pantry, attended a meeting or event, visited a neighbor, or participated in any other happenings in their community. ADP and Next Barn Over Farm also collaborated to create a CSA program that incorporated a strong outreach and education component to help familiarize people with the fresh produce being offered each week and build local demand for a CSA model, both unfamiliar concepts to the residents. In every share, a vegetable “tip sheet” was available with a picture of the vegetable, storage tips, nutrition information and easy-to-prepare recipes. ADP also organized cooking demonstrations at the distribution sites and in addition, Next Barn Over Farm sent samples of vegetables for residents to taste. Initial project planning included facilitating farm visits so that residents could see first hand how this organic bounty is grown so close to their neighborhood, but due to transportation and staffing issues, this was not implemented. Given the ethnic diversity and individual personality of each housing complex, the CSA had to be tailored slightly for each location. For example, many foreign languages are spoken at each location, though the primary languages are Spanish and Russian. The distribution manager, a resident himself, spoke Spanish and volunteers came to speak Russian as needed. Outreach materials were translated into each language whenever possible. Promoting the CSA was the main challenge at each site, especially due to the timing of the program from conception Farm fresh to implementation vegetables during the spring of delivered here! 2012. This resulted Delivering fresh, healthy in a limited outreach and affordable produce to our neighborhood through effort in advance to the end of October! familiarize residents New low price! $10! with the CSA New choice system! concept and to build excitement for the project. Flyers for the project were handed out the day before the first distribution and community involvement prior to implementation was limited. ADP and Next Barn Over Farm
Spring Meadow and Powdermill:
Wednesdays 5-7pm until October 31st
Greenfield Gardens and Cathedral Hill: Fridays 5-7pm until November 2nd
Farmers Market style:
Fill a bag with your choice of veggies instead of pre-packed boxes! Still to come: broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, salad greens, onions, potatoes, garlic, sweet potatoes, winter squash and much more! We accept EBT, Debit and Credit Cards.
For more information about the Next Barn Over Farm and Alliance to Develop Power, check out our websites: www.nextbarnover.com / www.a-dp.org
CASE STUDY MID-SEASON MODIFICATIONS TO THE PROGRAM
T
his is a price sensitive population. Initially, ADP began by selling half-shares for $17 per box, but it became apparent that this price was too high for folks living on very little, even families receiving SNAP benefits. Halfway through the season, ADP reduced the price from $17 per box to $10 to see if that would improve sales. While it did produce results, the negative reaction to the initial price was a high hurdle to overcome. There also was a sense that the produce would come to them eventually via the food pantry at no cost, even at smaller amounts, which also decreased interest. ADP also realized relatively quickly the stigma attached to receiving the weekly produce share in a box. This population associates a pre-packed box with free items, such as food pantry distributions, not costly ones. Working closely with the farmers at Next Barn Over, ADP was able to change the distribution method to a farmer’s market style arrangement, which allowed customers to fill a standard sized bag with the vegetables of their choice at a new reduced price. ADP also recognized that creating a choice system would give the residents a sense of respect and dignity, which also increased the appeal of the CSA shares. It was also less labor intensive for Next Barn Over to pack the produce for delivery so it was a beneficial change for both parties. Another unanticipated difficulty of selling pre-packed produce was the limited amount included of each vegetable. The complexes are home to mostly families who like to cook in larger quantities. The CSA boxes included smaller amounts of a variety of vegetables that did not necessarily match the quantity or selection for all customers. Instead, the choice system gave residents the freedom to make decisions about the quantities needed to feed their family in a given week. Once the changes were implemented, the next step was to promote these changes to residents. A graphic designer was retained by Common Capital to develop flyers and posters advertising the new information. However, the new materials were completed late in the season, which limited their impact in the community.
FINAL PROGRAM RESULTS & LESSONS LEARNED
T
he nature of this pilot, which was launched in a relatively short amount of time, was that the learning process was continuous and required problem-solving and flexibility among all three partners: Common Capital, ADP and Next Barn Over Farm. While implementing the program within this short timeline provided invaluable experience and learning, adequate planning time will help to strengthen the CSA program moving forward. ADP and Next Barn Over have already begun planning for next year and are committed to making this program an annual offering. This longer lead time will have many advantages including better coordination of distribution days, development of outreach materials and corresponding translations, strengthening the connection to the farm, tailoring the vegetables grown, and developing new sources of funding to explore subsidizing the program. A strong outreach and education effort is essential for reaching communities where knowledge about the wide variety of fresh produce is limited. The pilot project had to educate residents not only about a CSA, but also about how to prepare the produce available. Multiple exposures to the fresh produce through samples, food demos, and healthy food events, piqued interest in the program. Next year, ADP hopes to be able to capitalize on this nascent interest and increase sales. Community buy-in is another important aspect to making the program successful. Given the short timeline, there was only limited involvement of the communities, and it also varied at each housing complex. The distribution manager was a resident, which benefited the program. However, in order to reach the community as a whole, a greater involvement and buy-in in advance by residents will need to happen.
For more information about the program: Michael Abbate, COO of Common Capital or Theresa Cooper-Gordon, ADP
QUICK SNAP SHOT WHO WHAT
Common Capital, Inc. Alliance to Develop Power Next Barn Over Farm
www.common-capital.org www.a-dp.org www.nextbarnover.com/about
Pilot program developed by Common Capital and Alliance to Develop Power (ADP) created a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) delivery program to four residential HUD housing projects managed by ADP.
CASE STUDY
OVERVIEW/STATEMENT OF NEED
A
s local, organic food becomes increasingly available in many communities via farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture farms (CSAs), and supermarkets, the focus has begun to shift to helping low-income communities afford and access the same high-quality, nutritious foods. Western Massachusetts, which is historically rich in fertile soil and has an abundance of small farms, is well positioned to address this issue with their own underserved communities. One example of increasing food access is a pilot program designed by Common Capital and the Alliance to Develop Power (ADP), which created a CSA delivery program to four residential HUD housing projects managed by ADP. The Pioneer Valley is comprised of mostly rural areas, small towns and pockets of urbanity, where significant low-income populations reside, including Springfield and Holyoke. Despite the close proximity of cities and farms in this area, an invisible wall (strangers, slow to come together) has existed between the two – urban areas and the rich local farmland surrounding them. Ironically, it is exactly their proximity and the urban areas’ population density that provide the opportunity to form lasting connections. The Alliance to Develop Power (ADP) maintains four section-8 housing complexes in the postindustrial cities of Springfield, Westfield and Greenfield; communities that began grassroots organizing in 1991. These vibrant immigrant and multi-cultural communities house 770 families and more than 80% of the residents in ADP housing
have an annual household income below $10,000. Many of the residents are unemployed and/or disabled. The ADP communities face multiple barriers to accessing fresh produce including: • Low quality grocery options, • Lack of proximity to farms and farmers markets, • Unfamiliarity with a wide variety of locally grown produce, as well as, • Limited transportation options. These are some of the main issues that the CSA program sought to address.
CASE STUDY
INITIAL PROGRAM METHODOLOGY
T
o start, Common Capital partnered with ADP and Next Barn Over, a farm located in Hadley, Massachusetts, which is within a half-hour drive of all four housing complexes. Common Capital loaned ADP the funds to finance the purchase of Next Barn Over’s CSA shares, in the spring 2012, thereby providing the capital to the farm up-front, which follows the traditional CSA model. This seed money provided by Common Capital was critical to providing the farmers with the funds they needed to order seeds and prepare for the growing season while giving ADP the opportunity to offer the CSA shares to community residents that could be purchased on a week-by-week basis. This made it easier for the residents to manage the purchases within their budgets. The pilot program offered sixty half-shares for the growing season and was part of ADP’s larger community health and wellness strategy. One of the guiding principles of the program was to create a distribution system that was weekly, reliable and provided dependable access to high quality produce. In addition, payment was accepted in the form of EBT, debit and credit card transactions. Next Barn Over Farm became a certified USDA SNAP retailer and two mobile EBT merchant terminals were provided to ADP. Since more than 80% of the residents in ADP housing have an annual household income below $10,000, a CSA that accepts SNAP was an essential component of the program. ADP was well positioned to host this pilot program as it had the population density to support a CSA distribution site at each of their four different locations. ADP also has the advantage of operating food pantries at each housing complex. All produce not sold through the CSA program was purchased by ADP and distributed to residents through the onsite food pantries. This ensured that residents were actually receiving the produce and none of it was going to waste. Food pantry recipients were able to benefit from having some nutritious organic produce, albeit much less than if they had purchased a CSA share. Another unique aspect of this program was the accessibility of the CSA shares to low-income people. The distribution sites were all centrally located in the housing complexes with two located in community centers and the other two sites located outdoors and each CSA distribution site was in walking distance of the entire community. Access to transportation, typically a barrier to accessing healthy foods for low-
income folks, was not an issue in the CSA program. In addition, these central locations had the potential to increase exposure as people picked-up food from the food pantry, attended a meeting or event, visited a neighbor, or participated in any other happenings in their community. ADP and Next Barn Over Farm also collaborated to create a CSA program that incorporated a strong outreach and education component to help familiarize people with the fresh produce being offered each week and build local demand for a CSA model, both unfamiliar concepts to the residents. In every share, a vegetable “tip sheet” was available with a picture of the vegetable, storage tips, nutrition information and easy-to-prepare recipes. ADP also organized cooking demonstrations at the distribution sites and in addition, Next Barn Over Farm sent samples of vegetables for residents to taste. Initial project planning included facilitating farm visits so that residents could see first hand how this organic bounty is grown so close to their neighborhood, but due to transportation and staffing issues, this was not implemented. Given the ethnic diversity and individual personality of each housing complex, the CSA had to be tailored slightly for each location. For example, many foreign languages are spoken at each location, though the primary languages are Spanish and Russian. The distribution manager, a resident himself, spoke Spanish and volunteers came to speak Russian as needed. Outreach materials were translated into each language whenever possible. Promoting the CSA was the main challenge at each site, especially due to the timing of the program from conception Farm fresh to implementation vegetables during the spring of delivered here! 2012. This resulted Delivering fresh, healthy in a limited outreach and affordable produce to our neighborhood through effort in advance to the end of October! familiarize residents New low price! $10! with the CSA New choice system! concept and to build excitement for the project. Flyers for the project were handed out the day before the first distribution and community involvement prior to implementation was limited. ADP and Next Barn Over Farm
Spring Meadow and Powdermill:
Wednesdays 5-7pm until October 31st
Greenfield Gardens and Cathedral Hill: Fridays 5-7pm until November 2nd
Farmers Market style:
Fill a bag with your choice of veggies instead of pre-packed boxes! Still to come: broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, salad greens, onions, potatoes, garlic, sweet potatoes, winter squash and much more! We accept EBT, Debit and Credit Cards.
For more information about the Next Barn Over Farm and Alliance to Develop Power, check out our websites: www.nextbarnover.com / www.a-dp.org
CASE STUDY MID-SEASON MODIFICATIONS TO THE PROGRAM
T
his is a price sensitive population. Initially, ADP began by selling half-shares for $17 per box, but it became apparent that this price was too high for folks living on very little, even families receiving SNAP benefits. Halfway through the season, ADP reduced the price from $17 per box to $10 to see if that would improve sales. While it did produce results, the negative reaction to the initial price was a high hurdle to overcome. There also was a sense that the produce would come to them eventually via the food pantry at no cost, even at smaller amounts, which also decreased interest. ADP also realized relatively quickly the stigma attached to receiving the weekly produce share in a box. This population associates a pre-packed box with free items, such as food pantry distributions, not costly ones. Working closely with the farmers at Next Barn Over, ADP was able to change the distribution method to a farmer’s market style arrangement, which allowed customers to fill a standard sized bag with the vegetables of their choice at a new reduced price. ADP also recognized that creating a choice system would give the residents a sense of respect and dignity, which also increased the appeal of the CSA shares. It was also less labor intensive for Next Barn Over to pack the produce for delivery so it was a beneficial change for both parties. Another unanticipated difficulty of selling pre-packed produce was the limited amount included of each vegetable. The complexes are home to mostly families who like to cook in larger quantities. The CSA boxes included smaller amounts of a variety of vegetables that did not necessarily match the quantity or selection for all customers. Instead, the choice system gave residents the freedom to make decisions about the quantities needed to feed their family in a given week. Once the changes were implemented, the next step was to promote these changes to residents. A graphic designer was retained by Common Capital to develop flyers and posters advertising the new information. However, the new materials were completed late in the season, which limited their impact in the community.
FINAL PROGRAM RESULTS & LESSONS LEARNED
T
he nature of this pilot, which was launched in a relatively short amount of time, was that the learning process was continuous and required problem-solving and flexibility among all three partners: Common Capital, ADP and Next Barn Over Farm. While implementing the program within this short timeline provided invaluable experience and learning, adequate planning time will help to strengthen the CSA program moving forward. ADP and Next Barn Over have already begun planning for next year and are committed to making this program an annual offering. This longer lead time will have many advantages including better coordination of distribution days, development of outreach materials and corresponding translations, strengthening the connection to the farm, tailoring the vegetables grown, and developing new sources of funding to explore subsidizing the program. A strong outreach and education effort is essential for reaching communities where knowledge about the wide variety of fresh produce is limited. The pilot project had to educate residents not only about a CSA, but also about how to prepare the produce available. Multiple exposures to the fresh produce through samples, food demos, and healthy food events, piqued interest in the program. Next year, ADP hopes to be able to capitalize on this nascent interest and increase sales. Community buy-in is another important aspect to making the program successful. Given the short timeline, there was only limited involvement of the communities, and it also varied at each housing complex. The distribution manager was a resident, which benefited the program. However, in order to reach the community as a whole, a greater involvement and buy-in in advance by residents will need to happen.
For more information about the program: Michael Abbate, COO of Common Capital or Theresa Cooper-Gordon, ADP
