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Wake County staff outline ARPA‑funded food‑security pilots and ask board to consider $150K bridge funding
Summary
Cooperative Extension staff reviewed ARPA investments in food security (cold storage, aggregator support, SNAP match pilot across 9 farmers markets and farm‑to‑ECE), said ARPA dollars end in December, and commissioners asked staff to identify options to provide a $150,000 interim bridge to sustain pilots while private partnerships develop.
Catherine, a Cooperative Extension official, presented Wake County’s food‑security work at the May 21 budget work session, showing a public food‑locator map and describing how ARPA funds were used to support cold storage, aggregators and pantry partners.
Catherine said ARPA dollars have helped stabilize access to nutritious food but will expire in December, leaving gaps unless the county or private partners step in. Staff described several pilots supported by ARPA: a farm‑to‑early‑childhood‑education (farm‑to‑ECE) pilot (staff later clarified the farm‑to‑ECE program is about $40,000 per year), a farmers‑market SNAP match pilot across nine markets (about $70,000 per year in combined costs for SNAP match, promotional dollars and pantry adoption work), and a NourishRx prescription‑produce box pilot (previously funded at a higher one‑time level; commissioners said it had cost about $886,000 and served about 1,000 residents in earlier implementation).
Commissioner Adamson and others asked staff to explore a $150,000 stopgap to sustain the farmers‑market and farm‑to‑ECE pilots for another year while staff pursues private partnerships and grant opportunities (Catherine said the team is looking at USDA grants such as Nourished Rx and other private sources). Catherine also described a pilot that doubled SNAP‑benefit matching at nine markets; staff said the pilot increased SNAP participation and that unpurchased produce from market days is donated to pantry partners.
Commissioners asked for prioritization criteria if private funding is limited; Catherine said the county has directed prioritization toward farm‑to‑ECE and farmers‑market investments at the manager's request but that NourishRx offers high return on investment for chronic health outcomes despite a higher price tag. Staff agreed to return cost options and prioritization scenarios to the board by the May 27 deadline.
The work session included questions about geographic distribution; staff said the nine markets in the pilot are spread across the county (Western Wake, Rolesville, Fuquay‑Varina, Wake Forest and others) and that the Capital Area Food Network serves as the local food council and a vehicle for coordinated investment recommendations.
