The city of Baltimore was awarded a $200,000 grant Friday from the African American Mayors Association (AAMA) and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America (ABFHA) to advance essential programs that improve community health.
Baltimore was one of five cities to receive a total of $600,000 in grants. Winning cities were announced during the AAMA National Conference in Washington April 24-27.
Baltimore plans to apply its funding to the Baltimore City Produce Box Distribution Program, the first of its kind in Maryland, created in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides a 15-pound box of fresh regionally grown produce to Baltimore residents in Health Food Priority Areas. The Produce Box Distribution Program is unique in the way it partners with the 100 plus community organizations that help to distribute produce at scale.
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Baltimore won its award in the large-sized city category. Mid-sized cities Little Rock, Arkansas and Richmond, Virginia will each receive grants of $125,000 and two grants of $75,000 have been awarded to Mount Vernon, New York and North Miami, Florida in the small-sized city category.
This is the second year of a three-year commitment between ABFHA and AAMA to award grants to cities.
Mayors in the selected cities will apply the funds toward vital resources such as community gardens, food pantries, produce distribution and family healthy cooking classes. These funds will help attract additional investments for the nutrition issues these cities are facing.
Funds from the program are targeted for city programs that demonstrate measurable progress in several areas, including increasing access to affordable basic nutrition needs and educational components that help market the program to a mayor’s community; providing community outreach or help educate citizens about the benefits of the program; attracting matching grants or other investment dollars.
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