The South Carolina Library Association (SCLA) conference this year will be held October 17th through October 19th, 2023, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. This year’s theme for the conference is “Libraries Make the Impossible Possible”. The conference aims to celebrate libraries’ extraordinary, innovative, and dynamic efforts in addressing challenges and implementing creative solutions to engage the community. The session was titled Libraries Partnering for Health. The SC Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare’s Rural Libraries and Health Innovations Program supports library systems as community health hubs. Along side the Abbeville and Kershaw County Library systems an overview of the program and learning collaborative, and highlights different models, strategies, successes, and lessons learned. To learn more about the Libraries and Health Programs at the Center Click Here. https://www.scruralhealth.org/libraries
Ellerbe Vegetable Farm, LLC was among several grantees announced as receiving financial and technical assistance awards through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative’s (HFFI) inaugural grants program. Funding for the HFFI grants program is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Awardees were selected through a competitive process that was open to eligible fresh food retail projects seeking financial and technical assistance to overcome the higher costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved areas. To be eligible for assistance, healthy food retail project applicants had to: plan to expand or preserve the availability of staple and perishable foods in underserved areas with low and moderate-income populations; and accept benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP). Ellerbe’s Farmers Market will be in the Savannah Grove Community, Florence County.
Foundation invited to serve as Event Host for USDA’s 22007 Discrimination Financial Assistance Program Outreach Support Program
Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) directs USDA to provide financial assistance to producers who have experienced discrimination in USDA’s farm lending programs. To implement this legislative directive, USDA established the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. This program gives USDA the ability to provide financial assistance for farmers, ranchers, or forest landowners determined to have experienced discrimination in USDA's farm lending programs prior to January 1, 2021.
Congress directed that the program should be administered by non-governmental organizations, so in May, USDA signed contracts with three non-governmental vendors who, together, constitute a national administrator and four regional hubs. The vendors are working together to solicit applications from eligible farmers, provide technical assistance, and make decisions about each case (following rules set by USDA).
To ensure maximum producer participation and increase their awareness of financial assistance, USDA has partnered with community-based organizations, across the country with experience in agriculture and trusted relationships with producer communities. Leveraging partner networks will enable USDA to meet its goal to reach broad, diverse, and inclusive communities in all geographic regions.
Because the Foundation has been identified as a trusted agricultural or community-based organization, we were invited to serve as 22007 Event Host through the 22007 Outreach Support Program. The Foundation will host three events in conjunction with its Cultiv8 Agribusiness Incubator sessions.