[su_label type=”info”]IMPACT WEEK[/su_label]
For one Battle Creek woman, a single working mother with two young children, simply getting to the grocery store is often difficult. Visiting local farmers markets to buy fresh produce for her kids happens even more infrequently.
The Sprout Box Scholarship, a first-year program strategically funded by United Way BCKR under its Health focus area, allowed her family and others to access and purchase fresh, healthy produce from June through October. The program aligns with United Way’s health priorities in ensuring good physical health for families.
Sprout offered free weekly delivery to roughly 20 qualifying families of its Sprout Box, a locally sourced selection of produce and other farm goods. Participants were able to use and stretch their SNAP and WIC food benefits, using the Double Up Food Bucks program to receive $25 in product for $12.50 in benefits. They could either customize their weekly boxes, or let Sprout select for them with the “house special” option.
Home delivery increased access for many families that may not have transportation or the extra time to shop for fresh produce, said Brennan Dougherty, Sprout Box and Food Hub Manager for Sprout.
“The home deliveries were a big deal for them,” she said. “We’ve also seen an introduction of new vegetables to families, things they’ve never cooked or even seen before,” Dougherty said. “We’ve had some families opt for our house special, and we end up sending things that are maybe a little less traditional: turnips, swiss chard, beets. We send along recipes of our own, but I’m hearing from some of our scholarship participants that they’ve done recipe research of their own.”
One participant shared that her family of six – including two children under 3 years old – was able to lower its sodium consumption, having swapped canned fruits and vegetables for fresh produce through Sprout.
Dougherty said that staff learned much in the first year, and plans to tweak the duration and other aspects of the program to increase impact in the coming year.
Learn more about Sprout by visiting their website or Facebook page.