Food Access

Grant Awarded as Part of Nutrition Initiative

Fair Food Network is proud to announce the receipt of a $100,000 grant from Newman’s Own Foundation, the independent foundation created by the late actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman. 

In Detroit, more than half a million residents live in neighborhoods where healthy, fresh food is difficult to find.

For the second year, Fair Food Network has administered a small grants program to support projects and programs of the Good Food Battle Creek collaborative (GFBC). With funds from the WK Kellogg Foundation, FFN awarded more than $130,000 in grants to support a variety of GFBC projects.

While working with the founding team of UC Santa Cruz's organic farm project, Oran Hesterman received "a direct communication from the earth. That we need to change the way we're collectively feeding ourselves. And that it's possible."

Cook-off pits local chefs against each other. The goal? Teach healthy cooking techniques that won't break the bank.

Eat fresh, eat local, eat healthy. Most Americans know what they should eat, but for low-income families, the question is how.

A year ago, Kathie Maldonado couldn’t imagine eating food like this.

Fresh fish from Lake Michigan. Fruits and vegetables picked juicy and crisp just the day before at local farms. And even chewy, flavorful bread she’d never seen in grocery stores.

During a special event at the popular Eastern Market, Metro Detroiters who receive Bridge Card food assistance may learn how to double the value when they purchase Michigan-grown fresh fruits and vegetables.

An open house for the Fair Food Network's "Double Up Food Bucks" project is slated for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, at the Eastern Market site on Russell Street between Mack and Gratiot avenues.

DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS PROGRAM EXPANSION TO PROVIDE
GREATER ACCESS TO FRESH PRODUCE FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES

The U. S. Senate passed the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012 (ARFJA – AKA the Farm Bill) on June 21 by a resounding bipartisan vote of 64-35. The passage of the 2012 Farm Bill is a triumph for Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).

A lot of people shop at farmers’ markets for fresh and locally grown produce, much of it organic. But until early in the 2000s, with the exception of a few pilot programs across the country, most food stamp recipients couldn’t use their benefits at these markets. Now that they can, many are unaware of the shopping option—or they choose to buy often cheaper frozen and canned fruits and vegetables.