News

July 30, 2008

PA Fresh Food Initiative, finalist in national competition

A Pennsylvania program that helps to deliver more healthy food to underserved rural areas is now a finalist in a Harvard University contest, Governor Edward G. Rendell said.

The Fresh Food Initiative, which is managed by the Department of Community and Economic Development, is one of 15 programs to be picked from a pool of nearly 1,000 applicants by Harvard’s Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation for its Innovations in American Government Award.

The initiative has funded 52 projects throughout the state since its inception in early 2004. In addition to making healthier food more readily available, the projects are expected to bring 3,333 new jobs and more than 1.2 million square feet of retail food space across Pennsylvania.

The program is managed through a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and three non-profit organizations: The Food Trust; The Reinvestment Fund; and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition.

For more information on the Fresh Food Financing Initiative and any of Governor Rendell’s stimulus programs, www.newpa.com or call 1-866-466-3972.

Tweet	Follow @TLnews