The Chelsea Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, awarded $7,000 to the Fair Foods Network to expand the highly successful Double Up Food Bucks program at the Chelsea Farmers’ Market.
Double Up Food Bucks, established in 2010 with support from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, allows Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries to have their purchases of fresh Michigan grown fruits and vegetables matched up to $20 per visit at participating Michigan farmers’ markets.
“We are pleased that the Chelsea Community Foundation is making it possible to take the Fair Foods Network’s Double Up Food Bucks to the Chelsea Farmers’ Market,” said Oran Hesterman, president and CEO of Ann Arbor-based Fair Food Network, in a press release.
The Fair Food Network is a national nonprofit that works to increase access to healthy, fresh and sustainably grown food, especially in underserved communities. “This grant will help make Michigan-grown produce more affordable for low-income shoppers while supporting area farmers and the Chelsea community as a whole, he said.
The Chelsea Community Foundation offers a unique avenue for individuals to pursue charitable interests and strengthen the Chelsea community, according to the press release.
“We work with donors at all levels to create permanent community ‘capital’ that can be used for the lasting benefit of the people of Chelsea,” said Peter M. Feeney, chairmen of the Chelsea Community Foundation advisory committee, adding, “This permanent endowment helps us deal with today’s needs in our community and prepare for tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities.”
The foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations working in diverse areas, including the arts, health and human services, education, conservation and recreation.
Recent examples include support for the Michigan United Conservation Clubs to create an outdoor high ropes course at Cedar Lake Outdoor Center, support for public readings of new plays in development by Purple Rose Theater at the Chelsea District Library, and support for a substance abuse prevention program for Chelsea youth.
Founded in December 1995, the Chelsea Community Foundation has a permanent charitable endowment of more than $1.8 million and has awarded more than $1 million in grants to organizations working to improve the quality of life in Chelsea and surrounding communities.
