A&T to Kick Off Fresh & Local Nutrition Incentive Program on April 6

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (March 18, 2024) – The Fresh & Local Nutrition Incentive Program – a project led by a multidisciplinary team at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University – will kick off Saturday, April 6.

Offered on most Saturdays through Aug. 31, the market will provide half-priced Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box options to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants and is open to the entire community.

The market will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 112 N. Benbow Road, in the parking lot adjacent to the Dr. Alvin V. Blount Jr. Student Health Center on campus. It will be closed May 11, May 25, June 15, July 6 and Aug. 17.

Families will have the chance to purchase CSA box options valued at $20 and $30 apiece for $10 and $15 apiece, respectively, with SNAP benefits. Each box will be customized to include a variety of in-season fruits and vegetables grown by local farmers.

“Our Fresh & Local Nutrition Incentive Program is here to support families facing challenges with food. We’re working to reduce food insecurity and help parents and individuals in East Greensboro and Guilford County, North Carolina, enjoy more fruits and vegetables,” said Shewana Hairston McSwain, coordinator of the SNAP-Ed and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) with Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T.

“With around 78,000 people relying on SNAP benefits in Guilford County, we understand that families want to stretch their food dollars,” she said. “Our Double EBT bucks initiative allows them to reach that goal and provide their family with healthier choices.”

The program continues to recruit, retain and engage 300 to 400 SNAP recipients residing in eastern Greensboro through partnerships with community-based organizations by providing weekly deliveries of CSA boxes containing locally sourced, fresh vegetables and fruits to participants via a partnership with local farmers, offering matching nutrition incentives.  

“We understand the importance of increasing access to affordable food and look forward to offering the Fresh & Local program for the second year. This program aligns well with our commitment to creating partnerships and solutions that advance the human condition,” said Rosalind Dale, Ed.D., vice provost for Engagement and Outreach, who serves as principal investigator for the project.

This project, under the auspices of the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program’s Produce Prescription and Nutrition Incentive, received a $98,948 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture that allows SNAP participants to purchase the CSA boxes at half cost.

A multidisciplinary team at A&T led by Dale created the project with McSwain; Yolanda Nicholson, DNP, of Student Health Services; Raymond Samuel, M.D., Ph.D., professor of biology in the College of Science and Technology; and Yudan C. Wang, Ph.D., associate professor of counseling and senior researcher in the College of Education.

To learn more or to sign up for the program, contact Catherine Cedeno at freshandlocal@ncat.edu or 336-285-4673.