(Sep 17, 2020) Rep. Stephen Kinsey
HARRISBURG, Sept. 17 – State Rep. Stephen Kinsey announced today that Fresh Food Financing Initiative grants have been approved for over 100 projects that improve access to food in low-income communities across the commonwealth. “Especially during a pandemic, it’s vital that people have access to fresh, healthy food,” said Kinsey, D-Phila. “These grants will help community markets continue to serve people throughout these difficult times.” The FFFI was funded at $10 million through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and opened in July to for-profit, nonprofit, or cooperative entities including grocery stores, corner stores, convenience stores, neighborhood markets, bodegas, food hubs, mobile markets, farmers markets, on-farm markets, urban farms, and food aggregation centers with a direct connection to direct-to-consumer retail outlets. In 2019, Kinsey introduced H.B. 1814 along with Rep. Morgan Cephas and Rep. Danilo Burgos, both D-Phila., to reintroduce the program, which ran from 2004-2010. It would provide grants and low-interest loans for the construction, rehabilitation, or expansion of grocery stores, farmers markets, and other healthy food retail establishments in low- to moderate-income areas in need and other underserved communities. Read more