Eat HAPI (Healthy Aging Produce Partnership Initiative)

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

Food is health. Food is community. Food is equity.These phrases guide Lackawanna County’s Eat HAPI (Healthy Aging Produce Partnership Initiative), an innovative program seeking to reimagine the distribution of the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) that provides vouchers to seniors to purchase produce from farmers. In addition to providing access to healthy food for seniors, the objective of Eat HAPI is to create a more holistic approach to the social determinants of health. The Lackawanna County Agency on Aging collaborated with the Arts and Culture Department and several community partners to move beyond the transactional method of food distribution to include activities and education such as health screenings, cooking demonstrations, education on nutrition, and art and recreational activities. These tactics in addition to providing access to healthy food, also create a platform to start to reduce senior isolations, increased activity and knowledge about living a healthy lifestyle. This pilot program also encouraged between government and community partners to work collaboratively which has led to more ideas for further development of the Eat HAPI program.