HFA Home Page // Project Background // Healthy Food Access Programs
Below are resources we’ve put together to help food co-ops plan and implement successful Healthy Food Access programs to make healthy food and co-op membership more affordable and accessible for low-income community members.
Food Co-ops & Healthy Food Access Planning Resources:
- Planning Timeline
- Food For All Structure Document
- Community Partner Verification Guidelines & Sample Letter
- Toolbox
- Checklist: Planning Food For All
- Membership Accessibility Programs
- Promotional Materials
- Sample Brochures & Marketing Materials
- Audit/Program Evaluation forms
- Framework
- Case Studies
- Articles & Press
- Presentations
- “A Place at the Table” Screenings at Neighboring Food Co-ops
Food For All Structure Document
- Use this Food For All Structure based on best practices from NFCA food co-ops with FFA, and on conversations with the USDA and Community Partner Agencies to plan/update a FFA program at your co-op. Download here: NFCA FFA Structure Doc
Community Partner Verification Guidelines & Letter
- Use these guidelines for how to set up healthy and productive relationships with community partners who are working on healthy food access (e.g. food shelf, Homeless shelter, Community Action Agency, Meal site, etc.). Community Partner Verification Guidelines
- Use this sample Community Partner verification letter to to give to Community Partners to cusomize and use to as part of the Food For All eligibility and verification process. Some co-ops allow FFA applicants to demonstrate eligibility by bringing a letter from a community partner agency verifying that the member is in need of assistance affording food: Sample Community Partner Letter
Checklist: Planning Food For All
Sample Brochures & Marketing Materials
- Food For All card (for social service orgs.) Putney Food Co-op
- Food For All brochure & application Brattleboro Food Co-op
- Food For All application Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op
- Healthy Food For All Wild Oats Market Co-op
- Co-op Cares brochure & application Hunger Mountain Co-op
Audit/Program Evaluation forms
- Want to evaluate and improve the healthy food access program at your co-op? We have in-store and program coordinator-level audit forms to help you evaluate and improve your accessibility programs. Email us for audit forms and instructions: bonnie@nfca.coop
Framework: Elements to include in your HFA program
- New England Food Co-ops Collaborate to Improve ‘Healthy Food Access’ in their Communities, Vermont Farm to Plate, October, 2016
- Expanding Healthy Food Access at New England Co-ops, Cooperative Grocer, May – June, 2016
- Food Security & The Roots of Co-operation
- Food Co-ops Partner to Increase Healthy Food Access Cooperative Grocer, July – August 2013
- Neighboring Food Co-ops Partner to Make Healthy Food Accessible for All
Membership Accessibility Programs
- “Membership For All” Programs Guide, Neighboring Food Co-op Association
Case Studies: Profiles of Healthy Food Access Programs at Neighboring Food Co-ops
- Co-ops Collaborate to Launch Affordability Programs
- Healthy Food Access Profile, City Market
- Healthy Food Access Profile, Franklin Community Co-op
- Healthy Food Access Profile, Putney Food Co-op
- Healthy Food Access: Creating a Welcoming Food Co-op, HFVT at NFCA Fall Gathering, Sept. 2013.
- Food Co-ops: Making Healthy, Local Food More Accessible, NOFA Summer Conference, 2013.
- Healthy Food Access: Lessons From The Field, CCMA Conference, Austin, TX, June 2013.
- Co-operatives: Resiliency in Action, NOFA NH Winter Conference, Lancaster, NH, March 2013.
- With Access for All: Reducing Co-op Barriers, CCMA Conference, Philadelphia, PA, June 2012.
“A Place at the Table” Screenings at Neighboring Food Co-ops
- Listen to Kristina Israel (Putney Food Co-op), Sabine Rhyne (Brattleboro Food Co-op) & Bonn
ie Hudspeth (Neighboring Food Co-op Association) share about NFCA member co-ops’ coordinated “A Place at the Table” movie screenings and on Live & Local radio show: http://1490wkvt.com/live-and-local/give-a-little-feed-a-lot/ - View coordinated Neighboring Food Co-op screenings poster
- Movie Discussion Guide (Note: this was put together from A Place at the Table staff. You should consider how to incorporate your co-op’s mission/Ends and the healthy food access work your co-op is doing into the discussion).
- Hunger Free Vermont (VT) website: http://www.hungerfreevt.org/
- Project BREAD (MA) website: http://www.projectbread.org
- Resources from Hunger Free Vermont:
- Food Co-ops & Healthy Food Access Project, Update Dec 2011
- Food Co-ops & Healthy Food Access Project, Update May 2011
Note: These documents, especially the Toolbox, are evolving documents. As we continue to learn how to maximize the success of these programs, we will continue developing these resources. To receive updates on the Food Co-ops and Healthy Food Access project, please e-mail: healthyfoodaccess@coopfund.coop. Please indicate your affiliation and involvement in the healthy food access and/or food co-op movements.