MONTGOMERY— Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded three grants totaling $220,000 to ensure Alabamians have access to healthy foods.
The grants awarded by Gov. Ivey through the Alabama Healthy Food Financing Program will provide fresh and nutritional foods to qualifying residents in more than half of the state.
“This program, combined with volunteers and service organizations, is making a difference in ensuring that Alabamians have access to healthy foods,” Gov. Ivey said. “I am pleased to award this funding for projects that will help accomplish that goal.”
The Healthy Food Financing Program was approved in 2015 by the Alabama Legislature with the intent of ensuring that healthy foods at affordable prices are available to Alabamians. The measure was supported by then Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, who remains committed to the program as it enters its third year of funding.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants.
“ADECA is pleased to be a part of a program that is giving Alabamians access to healthy and affordable foods,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.
Those awarded grants, grant amounts and a brief description of the projects are:
Montgomery Area Food Bank (Montgomery) – $100,000 to renovate and equip two new warehouses at the non-profit organization’s locations in Montgomery and Selma. The organization supplies food to the needy, children, elderly and the homebound in 35 counties.
Project Hopewell Inc. (Birmingham) - $100,000 to upgrade kitchen facilities to improve its nutrition programs for senior citizen and children in the Birmingham and Jefferson County areas.
Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission (Montgomery) - $20,000 to provide funds for the implementing of the Fourth Annual Healthy Foods, Healthy Economics Summit which educates and trains farmers, economic developers and others throughout the state on how providing venues for healthy foods can benefit local economies.
Since its creation, the Healthy Food program has helped supply urban and rural areas with mobile food stores, reopen grocery stores, construct produce stands and create community gardens.
ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victim programs, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation.
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