WEBB — In Her Shoes Inc. has been awarded a grant of $307,243 to make farm fresh produce more accessible to area residents.
The local nonprofit is receiving the funds through the Agricultural Marketing Service Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson said with an additional matching contribution of $76,810.75, the total project funding is $384,053.75.
In addition, the American Heart Association has awarded $125,000 for the purchase of a mobile truck, point-of-sale systems and marketing, noted Marquitrice Mangham, of In Her Shoes Inc.
“The mobile produce truck will set up in small towns in the Delta like Glendora, Jonestown, Coffeeville, Shelby and Mound Bayou each week and will offer fresh locally grown produce and fresh meats to patrons,” said Mangham. “We will accept all forms of payment, and patrons purchasing produce with EBT will receive coupons for free produce on their next visit.”
Mangham said the mobile truck is scheduled to launch during the week of Nov. 25 in Jonestown, in Coahoma County.
“We appreciate USDA and the American Heart Association for believing in our efforts to bring fresh food options to communities in the Delta and we are super excited to launch the program,” noted Mangham. “This project is a result of a lot of hard work and dedication of our IHS board staff and board members, as well as partners and collaborators across the country.”
In addition to helping bring fresh fruits, vegetables and other food items to the residents in the Delta, the program is designed to provide training, technical assistance and market integration support for more than 30 locally owned small farms, Thompson said.
“Through this project, In Her Shoes Inc. will help small farms integrate into new markets, strengthen the regional food supply and build a more resilient agricultural economy in the Delta.”
Bottom line, the congressman added, the goals of the project are “to expand opportunities for small farms, strengthen local food systems and ensure that fresh food is accessible to all Mississippi Delta communities.”
Dr. Elizabeth B. Myles, an In Her Shoes board member, said the program offers numerous benefits.
“This award will build market sustainability for small farms and increase fresh produce in rural and underserved communities,” Myles noted. “I consider this to be a win-win situation because access to markets and fresh produce on a consistent basis is very empowering. This will be an overall economic boost for the Mississippi Delta.”
In Her Shoes board member Watson Turnipseed is high on the program.
“As the great citizens of Tallahatchie County are well aware, while we sit atop the most fertile ground in the world, we live amidst a food desert wherein our residents have been long strained with traveling far distances to buy fresh food consisting of locally and nationally grown fruits and vegetables,” he said.
“In Her Shoes Inc. is a dedicated nonprofit whose mission is to serve underserved and socially disadvantaged farmers, communities and citizens of our area,” Turnipseed continued. “I am proud to announce that through the efforts of In Her Shoes Inc., beginning this month during the week of Thanksgiving, we will be launching a mobile produce market (grocery truck) that will be traveling between towns across the region to provide residents with the option of buying fresh food locally, sourced from local farmers, all made possible through the LFPP grant program funding that has been acquired by In Her Shoes Inc.”
During fiscal 2024, LFPP is awarding a total of $14.1 million to 43 projects across 29 states and territories, according to a USDA news release.
Editor's note: This story has been revised from its original version to reflect a corrected "total project funding." A U.S. Department of Agriculture news release had overstated the amount.
