Small farmers are more squeezed than ever. A California grant program offers a lifeline.

Common Pantry provides assistance to those facing food insecurity, and recently opened a new facility to offer housing information and assistance with job searches, government benefits, health care and other services. The Pantry also started a nutrition program, teaching people about the science between food and health, as well as how to cook healthy meals at home.

Double Up Food Bucks offers dollar-for-dollar matching of up to $10 daily for fresh fruits and vegetables for those enrolled in SNAP. The program addresses affordability issues that historically prevented people from accessing fresh, nutritious foods. Double Up Food Bucks works with more than 250 grocery stores throughout the state to provide widespread access to fresh produce.

The Community Produce Program organized by the Heart & Soil Collective delivers weekly produce to seniors in need. Not only does the program increase food access, but it also provides seniors with community, wellness checks, and friendships that they struggle to access otherwise.

More than a dozen states are participating in a SNAP program, allowing people experiencing economic hardship to purchase food online from retailers. While only certain online retailers allow for food stamp purchases and SNAP users can’t pay for delivery fees with their benefits, more states are piloting the program, which could prove useful for people quarantining from the novel coronavirus.

The USDA’s Meals-to-You program helped school districts deliver food boxes straight to low-income households during the summer months, a game changer for families who face transportation barriers trying to get to conventional summer meal programs held on school grounds. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program delivered roughly 40 million meals to students in 42 states, but administrative shakeups have left the program’s future in jeopardy in places like Texas.

SEED for Oklahoma Kids is a statewide effort to help newer generations climb the educational ladder and build assets. Parents are offered $1,000 in their newborn's name and set aside in a college savings account, destined to be used for pursuing college or trade school education. The concept of the program is not unique to Oklahoma. Other states like Nebraska, Illinois, Maine, Pennsylvania, and more have implemented similar programs. "Automatic enrollment in a saving program, with the ability to opt out, turns out to have a much higher participation rate than relying on individuals to take the initiative."

The Madison Metropolitan School District created a food delivery program so students could access meals during the pandemic when teaching became virtual. When they noticed only 15,000 meals were being delivered, a low number, they created changes to their meal distribution program. The district collaborated with Badger buses to deliver the school lunches, then at specific stops school officials would distribute the meals to students. After the changes, 50,000 meals were delivered.

Mutual aid groups in New Mexico are packing and delivering groceries and other staples to New Mexicans in need during the pandemic who have not been adequately served by existing social safety nets. Groups like Albuquerque Mutual Aid, McKinley Mutual Aid, and Santa Fe Mutual Aid Network accept cash donations and donated goods. Volunteers then distribute the goods to people whose immigration status, health risks, or lack of transportation block them from receiving traditional government aid. The groups are planning to coordinate their work to be more efficient so they can continue after the immediate crisis.

A school district in Oregon took a multi-pronged approach to serving students their school lunches during the pandemic. Some of those things include curbside pickup, using buses to deliver food, and packing more than one meal per pickup. “We definitely saw a decline in the number of people we were able to serve, or who were coming out for meals, so we’re really trying to reach everyone to come get a meal.”

Mobile delivery increases the accessibility of summer meal programs for children who rely on food assistance during the school year. Across the country, multiple initiatives by local governments, schools, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations are working to extend participation in summer meal programs. Many of these programs receive support from the USDA, but additional grants have allowed organizations to extend their range of delivery, as have partnerships with food trucks and transportation services.