Food is Medicine Program Announces Mini-grants to Strengthen Food Security in Western MA
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The Food is Medicine program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is inviting community partners to apply for mini-grants to help them tackle hunger and strengthen food security in Western Massachusetts.
“Hunger and food security are critical issues affecting many families in our communities,” says nutritional epidemiologist Anna Maria Siega-Riz, professor and dean of the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, who is leading the multidisciplinary effort at UMass Amherst. “As highlighted by the national Food is Medicine initiative, access to nutritious food is vital for physical and mental health, as well as overall well-being.”
The mini-grants of $500-$1,000 will be awarded to community groups in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties to support such activities as urban garden training, meal planning and cooking skill events, as well as collaborations among farmers, grocery stores and organizations to create a sustainable food network.
The mini-grants are being funded by proceeds from the inaugural UMass Healthcare Culinary Conference: Bridging Healthcare, Food and Community, held earlier this year. Th mini-grants initiative grew out of a collaboration among Food is Medicine representatives from the SPHHS, the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, the College of Natural Sciences's Department of Food Science and UMass Dining Services, who sought to identify opportunities to support community partners addressing food security.
“By working together, we can create new partnerships that support better health for our communities,” Siega-Riz says.
Learn more about this program and listen to Siega-Riz and Lorraine Cordeiro describe its progress on a recent episode of the Care Talk podcast.