Growing Together project: Perceptions of mini-grant recipients, small rural food pantries, Master Gardener volunteers & Midwest state coordinators

Abstract

Currently, within Iowa, over 300,000 individuals lack access to enough food to sustain and support an active and healthy lifestyle. Fruit and vegetables are an essential aspect of a well-rounded, healthy diet and are desired by many that are food insecure. In response to this lack of access, a partnership, Growing Together (GT), was established between the Iowa SNAP-Ed program and the Iowa Master Gardener (MG) program. The goal was to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in communities across Iowa. Iowa State University (ISU) - Extension and Outreach County offices, partnered with local MGs, to utilize available mini-grant funding to establish and sustain donation projects and gardens with the goal of distributing the fresh produce grown, or gathered, to those in need within their communities. Virtual focus groups, electronic survey software, site visits, and virtual interviews, were used to capture perceptions of the GT partnership from ISU Extension and Outreach County staff, MG volunteers, Iowa small rural food pantries, and State SNAP-Ed and MG coordinators. They responded to a series of questions to investigate perceptions of: 1) available resources, partnerships, and opportunities to sustain their GT-Iowa projects, 2) influences, or challenges faced by small rural food pantries in providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables for clientele within their communities, 3) volunteering opportunities available within the MG program among recently active MGs, and 4) funding, volunteers, and partnerships in sustaining the project among five other State SNAP-Ed and MG coordinators participating in the project . The information gained from these four studies will provide insight into what is needed to sustain these projects and encourage further adoption of this project in other states not yet involved.