TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture presented Feeding Florida with a $3 million grant to help their mission of ensuring all food insecure people have access to affordable and locally sourced produce in their community.
With the Food insecurity Nutrition Incentive grant, the organization will be able to revitalize Florida's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other initiatives to improve access to fresh produce for all Floridians.
The next phase in their plan is to connect farmers markets, retail grocery stores and other agencies together.
"What our grant is going to do is expand that conversation but take it into the retail space," said Robin Safley, the executive director of Feeding Florida. "And what we're committed to focusing on is those food desert areas where there is little infrastructure."
According to Feeding Florida, Florida currently ranks 10th in the nation for food insecurity, however the Sunshine State is home to the second largest fruit and vegetable production in the country.
In Tallahassee, many residents are in so-called "food deserts." Those areas include the greater Southside and the Southwest Tallahassee area.
