Pattern for progress wins grant to promote healthy eating

Pattern for Progress received a grant of $190,400 from the Local Economies Project of The New World Foundation to fund two projects: One is to promote the use of local foods in public institutions in the Hudson Valley, the other to research the feasibility of a food hub for the region.

That project is aimed at improving the distribution of locally produced food in the nine-county region. The first project will help Pattern for Progress work with area institutions to procure more local food for their meal programs. These groups might include community colleges, nursing homes, jails and other venues.

The two projects will seek to strengthen the regional food system and increase market opportunities for farmers and foods. Although the industry boasts 5,000 farms that generate more than $500 million in revenue each year, Pattern believes there are opportunities to provide more local food to Hudson Valley residents and the New York metropolitan area.

The food-hub project will try to come up with ways to strengthen the supply chain for these producers. That will begin with a strategic planning effort, enlisting expertise from businesses. The food hub will focus on meeting rising consumer demand for local food by improving infrastructure and broadening distribution. The projects call for the formation of advisory teams to support their economic, agricultural, and business efforts.