Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program
UPDATE!
LFPA Southern Region* Now Accepting Farmer and Rancher Participants
Click here to schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with Southeast Regional Cooperative Partners
*This includes Southeast and the Southwest Regions (4 and 5 on the map below)
A message from Southeast Regional Cooperative Partners:
October 25, 2024
"We're excited to share that SERP is ready to kick off the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program in the Southern Region! Thank you all for your patience and continued commitment to this important work.
The program is now accepting socially disadvantaged farmer, grower, and rancher participants and seeking food distribution partners.
If you’re interested in the LFPA program, we invite you to schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with Southern LFPA coordinators, DeAnthony Jameson and Mia Brown, at https://calendly.com/southeastregionpartners.
These meetings will cover this Fall (November-December) and Spring 2025 partnerships, MOUs, and onboarding for farmers, food producers, and distributors.
Thank you for your participation! We look forward to collaborating with you to make a positive impact on our local food system."
What is the LFPA?
The Local Food Purchasing Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) is a USDA funded, state-wide program that supports the purchase of foods from local, socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and distributes the food to communities underserved by the normal food distribution network.
LFPA is divided into 2 tracks:
Track 1: Is made up of a network of Food Banks which purchase food directly from socially disadvantaged farmers and offer it for free to underserved communities.
Track 2: Addresses the same goals as above AND focuses on long-term economic expansion strategies for producers.
In Indiana, Track 2 is administered independently by Regional Representatives. These organizations connect with farmers, local food stakeholders and distributors, manage participant applications, and assist with ongoing economic development strategies for farmers.
Check out who your LFPA Regional Representative is here!
Learn more about the LFPA Track 1 and 2 here!
How is PIFF Involved?
In Fall 2024, the Southwest and Southeast Regions were consolidated into one Southern LFPA Region (4 and 5 on the map above). Southeast Regional Cooperative Partners (SERP) is currently the Regional Representative.
PIFF is the Fiscal Sponsor for the Southern Region of LFPA Track 2. As the Fiscal Sponsor, PIFF is responsible for ensuring funds are transferred to SERP, who then uses the funds to pay farmers, ranchers, and cover other program costs.
We are also working closely with SERP on rolling-out the program and are excited to be involved with this incredible initiative!
Questions?
Get in touch!
DeAnthony Jamerson and Mia Brown
Southern Region LFPA Program Coordinators
southeastregionpartners@gmail.com
Denise Jamerson
Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA)
Program Manager
Naima Gardner-Rice
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity (DNPA)
SNAP-Ed and Nutrition Programs Director
If you have questions about how PIFF is involved with LFPA, you can email our interim co-director Porchea at porchea@indianafarming.org