+ Overview & Timeline

Overview

The Food Trust and the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger have both been operating within the hunger and food access space in Philadelphia for over 20 years, working to increase food justice and security through policy, advocacy, and programs. The Coalition Against Hunger had recently launched their Green Light Pantry program in 2013, to help users determine the nutritional value of the different products available at the food pantries. Along with this release of initiative, The Food Trust was looking for new ways to engage new customers to their farmers’ markets and entice returning customers to feel the social impact they were having on the markets.

Timeline

The program design began in Fall 2014. The Food Trust was aiming to pilot a program in fall at year-round markets and expand when market season begins in April and May. The Coalition Against Hunger knew that the hardest time to keep food pantries stocked is the winter and was looking for a solution during those months.

+ Stage 1: Contextualize the problem

Problem

Food pantries do not receive access to healthy fresh options, leaving their constituents with often unhealthy canned and dried options without nutritional value, while farmers are throwing away produce after market that they cannot resell.

Market Research

• 90% of Philadelphia-based food pantries run out of food at some point throughout the year (Coalition Against Hunger, 2015).
• There are over 700 food pantries and soup kitchens in Philadelphia
• Nearly 1 in 5 (18.3%) of Philadelphia adults are food insecure from 2015 - 2017, which increased from 16.7% (2012-2014) (Hunger Free America, 2018).
• 22% of children are food insecure in Philadelphia (Coalition Against Hunger, 2013).
• 1 in 3 Philadelphia residents receive SNAP (470,000+ people) (Coalition Against Hunger, 2013).
• In order to end hunger, the food purchasing power of food-insecure families would need to be increased by $158 million in Philadelphia (Hunger Free America, 2018).
• Philadelphia’s poverty rate is 25.7 percent — the highest among the nation’s 10 largest cities (Hunger Free America, 2018).
• Almost 400,000 city residents and more than a third of the city’s children lived below the federal poverty line (about $19,337 for a family of three) (Hunger Free America, 2018).
• Almost half of all impoverished Philadelphia residents live in deep poverty, meaning they have income that is 50 percent below the federal poverty line (Hunger Free America, 2018).
• More than 40 percent of Philadelphia-based food-insecure families lived more than half a mile from the nearest food pantry, and many of them do not have cars to get there (Policy Lab, 2019).

Competitors Research

• Food Connect Philadelphia - food rescue organization that connects leftover food to food pantries
• Philabundance - hub for 700 food banks and pantries in the Greater Philadelphia region
• Share Food Program - emergency food relief and package program for vulnerable communities

Users Research

This program involves four key stakeholders: Farmers, Customers, Food Pantries, and Lead Organizations (The Food Trust and Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger). To develop a well-rounded program that was mutually beneficial to all stakeholders, feedback from all groups were taken into consideration before, during, and after the pilot program. From early interviews and feedback, we found:

• Customers are looking to give back, but have questions about how money they donate directly to organizations is used
• Farmers often have excess produce after their markets that they won’t be able to save or sell, and is often thrown away
• Farmers have difficulty connecting to food pantries in the city
• The pantries are looking to offer healthier options for their constituents, and the healthiest options tend to be fresh produce, grown locally
• The Food Trust is looking to drive more more diverse customers to their markets
• The Food Trust is also looking to engage their current customers in new ways
• The Coalition Against Hunger is looking to increase their fresh food in their network of food pantries across the city

+ Stage 2: Define the need

Research Findings

• Increase food access: food pantries often touch corners of the city where there are not farmers’ markets. This program brings that fresh quality produce to people who don’t have as easy of access.
• Empower donors: customers to the farmers’ market could be donors to the organizations that run the markets, but they do not currently feel a strong connection to the organization, and do not see the benefit it provides independent of the farmers. This program also allows customers to know exactly what they are donating and how it will be used.
• Engage volunteers: both The Food Trust and Coalition Against Hunger are always receiving requests for volunteers and often want hands-on experiences working to increase food access and decrease hunger in our communities. This provides an opportunity to engage those volunteers and achieve those goals.

Persona Example: Joseph

Joseph lives in South Philadelphia and works full time as a Marketing Manager. He enjoys going to his local farmers' market during the weekend, where he feels a sense of community. However, although he feels close with certain vendors, the market customers still feel disconnected from each other.

Joseph also has noticed that the prices at the market are often comparable if not better than the supermarket, but he wonders if everyone has equal access and knowledge about this. He is interested in how to get more people connected with this great food, but doesn't know how. He likes to volunteer but often doesn't have time, and when he does donate to organizations, he often wonders exactly how the money is being used.

Setting Goals

1. Develop low-cost and tangible way to donate (average produce is $3 - 10) for customers
2. Empower farmers to up-sell their produce through the donation program
3. Establish sustainable way to bring fresh produce with food pantries without threat of consistent demand
4. Engage farmers and market customers in a new way to establish greater awareness about food access and quality needs

+ Stage 3: Explore the ideas

Solution

A triple win program representing a new take on the traditional food drive program: customers purchase extra produce from the farmers (increased sales), to take to local food pantries to stock their fridges with fresh produce (constituents have access to fresh food). This program connects local farmers market produce and goods to local food pantries to increase fresh healthy food options for low and moderate income families.

Pilot Program Design & Engagement Process

1. Identify the farmers’ market to host the fresh produce food drives
2. Identify food pantry located geographically close to the market to accept the donations on the day of the food drive
3. Inform vending farmers about food drive coming up on given day
4. Develop outreach and marketing plan for neighborhood surrounding farmers’ market
5. Collect supplies to gather donations and develop information and signs to share day-of
6. During food drive, engage volunteers to talk to market customers about food drive happening and tell them how to donate
7. Gather donations throughout time the market is open
8. Speak with farmers at end of market to gather their excess food as donation
9. Load donations into vehicle and take to designated food pantry
10. Complete evaluation and feedback, and gather stories to share regarding the event

+ Stage 4: Design the solution

Structure

Based on the design of the pilot program, the flow of the food can be determined through the following structure.

Farm to Food Pantry: Produce Journey

• Produce is grown on farmland in PA or NJ
• Farmer picks produce and brings to one of The Food Trust farmers’ markets in Philadelphia
• Customer at farmers’ market purchases the produce, and decides to donate to the fresh produce food drive
• Produce is placed in designated donation bins at the farmers’ market
• At the end of the market, all the produce collected is placed into vehicles to take to local food pantry
• Food pantry staff collects the donated food and begins preparation of how to disseminate to the local community (either through meals or through food boxes)
• Produce is then served or handed to local community-based families for their meals

Metrics

• Pounds of produce collected at each fresh produce food drive
• Pounds of produce collected per farmers’ market
• Pounds of produce donated by farmers at end of the market
• Number of farmers offering donations
• Number of customers donating
• Number of food pantries served
• Number of constituents served with food at food pantry

Implementation

To develop a comprehensive implementation plan, both The Food Trust and Coalition Against Hunger required a robust program management process to be integrated into the following teams: farmers’ market, food pantry, communications, volunteer, and development. This involved high levels of communication and project management to interface seamlessly across each team and department to initiate, deliver, evaluate, and communicate.

+ Stage 5: Reflect on implementation

Program Outcomes

• First Thanksgiving drive brought in 455 lbs of food for four designated food pantries, bringing over 1,000 people fresh produce for the holiday
• Over 2 tons (4,000 pounds) of food collected at Philadelphia-based farmers markets from 20 different fresh produce food drives and delivered to soup kitchens and food pantries near the market locations
• Engaged over 50 farmers to continuously share the program with customer and donate themselves
• Over 100+ Neighbors giving back to neighbors: market goers continually asked when the next food drive would be held
• Developed full resource guide shared by national organization The Farmers Market Coalition to allow other volunteer groups and organizations across the nation host their own fresh produce food drives
• Demonstrated success of interest among all stakeholders and partnerships

Further Recommendations

• While food drives served both The Food Trust and the Coalition Against Hunger, the actual program aligned in organizational mission with Philabundance. Philabundance should offer this program as one of their key food procurement programs.
• Establish dedicated neighborhood-based volunteers; connect with CDCs, universities, and other organizations to build this opportunity into their operations

+ Overview & Timeline

Overview

Urban Affairs Coalition (UAC) has been a regional leader in organizational change for over fifty years, working to bring coalitions of nonprofits and social impact leaders together to build lasting initiatives in our communities. Similarly, UAC’s Community & Economic Development (CED) department has been driven to increase access to capital for all Philadelphians since the beginning years of the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act legislation. Through the mission of UAC and specific requirements of the Community Reinvestment Act, CED has developed as a local partner to bring together banks, lenders, CDFIs, government officials, and nonprofit leaders to develop initiatives to drive economic equity and mobility for low and moderate income individuals, especially in our neighborhoods that have been historically redlined.

CED built the Financial Advancement Network in the early 2000s to connect these underserved individuals with high-quality free financial education in an effort to decrease the wage gap and increase economic opportunity. Through the network, financial professionals aim to conduct hands-on seminars and trainings in financial literacy topics for renters, homeowners, business owners, and youth throughout the city. Despite a strong start in the early 2000s, the program had waned due to lack of capacity. With changes happening to CRA, Philadelphia neighborhoods, and therefore the needs of local residents, CED needed to restructure and expand the Network to fit with modern needs.

Timeline

With new potential funding dollars available, CED aimed to restructure and outlined the new Financial Advancement Network within a 3 - 6 month timeline.

+ Stage 1: Contextualize the problem

Problem

Due to decades of redlining and disinvestment, low and moderate income residents of the Greater Philadelphia region have been left behind by our financial system. Philadelphia residents lack access to free, quality financial education programming taught by professionals in the field who are available to answer questions and provide expert advice.

Market Research

I began by collecting research and insights across academics and comparable programs to explore challenges, barriers, and strengths of various models.

As one of the poorest dense cities in the country, Philadelphia not only has one of the lowest median incomes in the country, but also offers no consistent financial education in schools. Furthermore, “A Ranking of Pennsylvania Cities by Average Credit Score,” by LendEDU, ranks Philadelphia 988 out of 999 with an average credit score of 631. Many individuals not only lack the knowledge, but lack the confidence to navigate our current financial system.

As the wealth gap continues to increase - the top 1% of individuals hold 40% of the wealth of the entire country - there have been relatively few recent efforts to further actual progress to decrease the gap (Wolff, 2017).

Moreover, building wealth is at the crux of poverty. Even when a family hits difficult times or the market takes a turn for the worst, leaning back on savings and assets has allowed for families to move forward instead of falling back. Historically, building wealth has been tied to assets, such as owning a business or home, that are essential mechanisms for saving. Currently, more than half the population of America’s homeowners have at least $7,000 in liquid assets, whereas half the population of renters have less than $10 in savings (Pew, 2018). These liquid assets can then be passed down, giving generations a “head start” financially. However, this disproportionately benefits whites, who have an extreme concentration on wealth, making it difficult for people of color to gain shared prosperity (McNichol, 2018).

Additionally, due in part to the Great Recession, Americans across race and class have continued to fall back. The fact that many households “suffered large wealth setbacks during their prime earning and wealth-accumulation years [ages 25 - 45] raises the question of whether they will be able to rebuild their wealth to meet major saving goals, including for a home purchase, college tuition for their children and retirement” (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 2018). As rents have increased 66% nationwide since 2000, households incomes have risen barely 35%, leading the percentage of households transitioning from renting to owning to decrease nearly 40% - and specifically among households between the ages of 24 - 32 (Pew, 2018; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2019). Now, four in ten American cannot cover an unexpected $400 expense, and even among those individuals with retirement savings, fewer than 40% feel they are comfortable managing their investments and understanding the financial system (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2018; McNichol, 2018). Having little knowledge of the financial system and limited opportunity to save makes it harder for families to think about and understand how to build wealth.

Financial literacy is not a new topic, and there are many organizations that offer rich curriculum available for free:

• Visa’s Practical Money Skills
• JumpStart National Standards
• Federal Reserve Bank Educational Programs
• OCC Resource Directory

Additionally, research from the Federal Reserve Bank has found that popular topics include Budgeting and Money Management, Credit Building, Homeownership, and Wealth Building, confirming that seminars the most effective method to increase financial literacy.

Competitors Research

• Building Bridges to Wealth: Wharton School of Business - financial empowerment series dedicated to closing the wealth gap in Philadelphia, combined with leadership, entrepreneurship, and strategy.
• Keys to Financial Success: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia - curriculum and teacher training to bring economic education to youth in schools
• Workshops & Credit Counseling: CLARIFI - financial literacy workshops and counseling provided for free or low cost throughout Philadelphia

Users Research

After conducting research on academic literature and other similar programs around Philadelphia, spending time with those impacted most by the program is essential to creating a structure that works best for their unique needs. Additionally, the Financial Health Subcommittee was formed as a coalition of financial professionals and service providers to share expertise, ideas, and analysis of existing program and explore new solutions. Through focus groups, surveys, and interviews with participants recommended by local organizations, the following notes were revealed:

• Bring the financial education to existing groups and organizations where participants feel comfortable, rather than forcing them to attend class in an unknown group or location
• Start financial literacy education at the very beginning, in the simplest terms. This ensures everyone stays together and learns together, without assumptions about what is already known.
• Provide incentives to attend a multiple workshop series. Make it clear what expectations are for the workshops and how to obtain the incentive.
• Create hands-on learning activities, rather than just lecturing information.

+ Stage 2: Define the need

Research Findings

• Access is not Equity: Financial literacy first starts with financial education - and financial education needs to start at the very beginning to ensure inclusivity and equity. Sharing education is not enough; we need to confirm participants have what they need to learn at their own pace.
• Psychological, Cultural, and Societal Norms are important: Money is a difficult topic to talk about, so cultural norms need to be set and respected within the seminars and workshops to build trust and increase learning outcomes.
• Develop strong Interpersonal Communication: Instructors need to be educated and professional, but meet people where they are and focus on building trust and credibility with participants

Persona Example: Julia

Julia is a 42 year old Administrative Coordinator who leads a household of three boys. She has been married for about 10 years, and while her partner’s income and benefit are modest, combined with supporting their three children and her mother that recently moved in with them, their finances aren’t where they wish they were. Julia was raised by a single mother who didn’t always have the best savings and money management habits, which have had lasting effects on Julia’s relationship with money.

Julia is interested in developing better savings habits and would like to better understand her employer’s retirement account, but feels unsure about where to go to get started. She’s worried that she’s starting thinking about this too late in her life and doesn’t have anyone she can trust to tell her the real truth about money without trying to sell her a product.

Setting Goals

After reviewing all the research, determining key findings and persona, it was important to develop clear goals of what the program should look like.

• Build a program that “meets people where they are”—both physically in a space they feel comfortable in and financially at a level that allows everyone to understand and learn
• Work with financial professionals to understand their levels of expertise and how CED can support their ability to work with this population
• Determine the infrastructure for financial education built through the Community Reinvestment Act, and how those goals can be mutually reached within this program
• Involve local experts on conducting community and place-based financial education programs to ensure efficient and effective content and delivery

+ Stage 3: Explore the ideas

After digging deep into the Community Reinvestment Act, speaking with local educational and financial professionals, and consulting with the community, CED developed a flexible program able to be tailored to the needs of the participants of each workshop series while maintaining true to national financial education standards.

Solution

Using guidelines from the Community Reinvestment Act, the Financial Advancement Network (FAN) partners with local financial professionals to connect them with workshop opportunities across the region with low and moderate income residents. The program focuses on three key components:

• FAN Workshop: single-session seminars meant to introduce concepts to groups to build trust and credibility, and determine interest in a Club.
• FAN Club: six-session series developed to install lasting knowledge for groups interested in taking their financial learning deeper, while also growing together. Clubs have the same instructor for all six sessions.
• Speakers’ Bureau: financial professionals and volunteers who are interested in teaching Workshops and Clubs, and also want to create a space to share best practices for working with different populations.

Pilot Program 10-Step Process

1. Organizational partner is identified to host FAN Workshop, in preparation for FAN Club
2. Notification is sent out to Speakers’ Bureau regarding workshop request on specific topic
3. Volunteer instructor is identified. Conversation between CED, organizational partner, and instructor is confirmed to ensure all expectations are met and each designated partner has what they need to be successful.
4. FAN Workshop occurs with the organizational partner’s group. Group is interested in continuing to learn more and requests to start a FAN Club.
5. CED confirms instructor is available for FAN Club, and manages all logistical details and tracking between organizational partner and instructor.
6. FAN Club begins following a six session outline determined by coalition, individual feedback, group needs, and academic research.
7. Flexible curriculum is created by CED with the instructor and local resources to develop an informational yet activity-based program. Each participant takes a pre-survey at the first meeting and
8. CED leads a short session on expectation setting. The group continues to meet every week at the same time, day, and place and with the same instructor for consistency. In addition to financial literacy, trust is also being built between participants and the instructor, who creates an open welcoming session and engages all questions.
9. FAN Club completes after six sessions, and each participant completes a post-survey to receive their incentive. A small graduation is provided, with a cake and certificates of completion to recognize the participants’ work during the program.
10. CED evaluates the program based on feedback and shares needed changes with the instructor.

+ Stage 4: Design the solution

Structure

• FAN Workshops are available on the following personal financial education topics that directly related to a FAN Club series: Credit Building, Money Management, Budgeting, Homeownership, Building Savings, Student Loans and Debt.
• Speakers’ Bureau trains instructors based on CED’s specific population, workshop topics, and methods that ensure comprehensive learning.
• CED manages marketing and outreach to local community-based organizations, nonprofits, and groups who could host these workshops and clubs.
• When CED receives a workshop request, instructors trained through the Speakers’ Bureau receive a notification about the need. Instructors can volunteer on a first-come, first-served basis.
• CED confirms the instructor volunteer is a match for the organization and population, and then automates a connection between the instructor and organization to confirm final details.
• After the workshop is held, CED follows up for metrics and feedback outcomes, and instigates conversation for beginning a FAN Club to repeat the process.

Key Metrics

• Attendance at workshop and sessions
• Confidence in financial knowledge
• Confidence to take action on personal finances
• Making changes in personal finances
• Knowledge on financial topics
• Participant stories and quotes

Implementation

The Financial Advancement Network program relies on the management of relationships between organizations and volunteer instructors. By creating a volunteer management system, CED can send alerts for upcoming workshops, connect volunteers with organizations, and develop automated follow-up to track outcomes.

+ Stage 5: Reflect on implementation

Yearly Outcomes

• 75% participants reported an increase in confidence in making financial decisions
• 50% participated reported on making significant changes to their personal finances
• Over 3,000 low and moderate income individuals educated
• 50+ individuals trained to be Speakers’ Bureau volunteer instructors
• 300+ workshops and 20 FAN Clubs
• Over $300,000 rasied for program
• Begun program expansion outside of Philadelphia into Bucks and Montgomery counties

Further Recommendations

• Build specialized comprehensive CRM system to manage and automate program
• Continue to build instructor training and evaluation
• Establish strategic organizational partnerships with on-going Clubs and Workshops