FRESH FOOD FINANCING

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO REFRESH KANSAS CITY

kchealthykids.org

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

05 CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

07 KNOW YOUR FACTS

09 COLLECT SIGNATURES

10 COMMUNICATION TOOLS

10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

14 NEWSLETTER INSERTS

16 SOCIAL MEDIA

19 DIRECTORY OF ELECTED OFFICIALS

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FRESH FOOD FINANCING

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO REFRESH KANSAS CITY

Did you know that 200,000 residents in Clay, Jackson and Wyandotte counties live in food deserts? That means many of your neighbors and friends can’t easily get to grocery stores to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein and dairy products.

The problem stems from the inherent challenges of the grocery industry in general, combined with the unique difficulties of owning, operating and renovating grocery stores in food deserts, especially.

The Kansas City Grocery Access Task Force, convened by KC Healthy Kids, is proposing the creation of a Fresh Food Financing fund that would improve grocery access on both sides of the state line. The fund would offer financial tools the grocers need to overcome obstacles to operating in food deserts.

But funding alone cannot solve the problem. Community engagement is key. It can happen through schools, churches and neighborhood and community groups like yours.

Now it’s time for YOU to speak out! When you support grocery store renovation and development, you are giving traction to a virtuous cycle that can help more families put affordable, fresh food on their tables.

This toolkit will help. It was designed to support our partners and community members who want to mobilize and advocate for a Fresh Food Financing fund for the Kansas City region.

To learn more about the Kansas City Grocery Access Task Force’s efforts, visit: http://www.kchealthykids.org/program/fresh-food-financing/

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CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

We’ve been working with elected city officials on both sides of the state line to garner support for a Fresh Food Financing fund. And now they need to hear from you. Here are three easy steps you can take to tell them that access to fresh, affordable food is important to you, their constituents.

Find out who represents you.

Kansas City, Missourihttp://kcmo.gov/map-of-city-of-kansas-city-mo-council-districts/

Kansas City, Kansashttp://wycokck.org/InternetDept.aspx?id=5796&menu id=1278&banner=15284

2. Find your elected officials’ contact information in the directory at theback of the book.

3. Speak out! Here are some sample topics and phrases to guide yourmessage. Don’t be afraid to personalize your message and share your story!

When leaving a message make sure to:• Introduce yourself and share that you live in district __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.• Say you are in favor of Fresh Food Financing and accessibility of grocery

stores and fresh food for all Kansas City residents.• Share what a grocery store means to you. If you want to include a personal

story, here is the place to do it! Jot your notes down here: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.• Ask your elected officials to support a Fresh Food Financing fund in

Kansas City

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EMAIL MESSAGE & PHONE SCRIPT

Copy and paste this message into your email or read from it as you leave comments for your elected officials.

Hello, My name is _________________ and I live in district #________________. I would like to leave a message for Councilmember/Commisisoner

__________________________.

I support a Fresh Food Financing fund in Kansas City because of the many benefits it would bring to my community. A Fresh Food Financing fund would allow grocers to make proper grocery store renovations and develop new stores in the areas of Kansas City that need access to fresh food the most.

Having a grocery store in my community means that I can access fresh fruits and vegetables for my family (or personal story here).

I am asking Councilmember/Commissioner ___________________________ to support a Fresh Food Financing fund. Thank you for your time.

Emailing your elected official? Here are some sample email subject lines:• Support Fresh Food Financing in Kansas City• All Kansas City residents deserve fresh, affordable food• Increase fresh food access: Support Fresh Food Financing

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KNOW YOUR FACTS

Consistent and accurate messaging is key when advocating for a Fresh Food Financing fund. These facts can help you build a strong case.

• 29.7 Million people in the United States live in food deserts. (USDA, Accessto Affordable and Nutritious Food: Updated Estimates of Distance toSupermarkets Using 2010 Data)

• Over 200,000 people in Clay, Jackson, and Wyandotte counties live infood deserts. Estimated residents within food deserts by county:

• Clay, MO: 43,953• Jackson, MO: 112,912• Wyandotte, KS: 44,541

(USDA, Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Updated Estimates of Distance to Supermarkets Using 2010 Data, United States Census Bureau)

• Low-income zip codes have 25% fewer chain supermarkets than middle-income zip codes. (Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Food Store Availability and Neighborhood Characteristics in the United States)

• Poor access to fresh food retail results in higher rates of obesity andpreventable diseases. (Source: USDA, Creating Access to Healthy, Affordable Food: Food Deserts)

• A single supermarket can create as many as 250 new jobs for localresidents. (Sources: Healthy Food Financing Handbook: From Advocacy to Implementation, PolicyLink and The Food Trust, The Grocery Gap: Who Has Access to Healthy Foods and Why It Matters, The Reinvestment Fund, NMTC-Finance Food Access Projects)

• The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative increased access toaffordable fresh food for over 400,000 residents, created 5,000 direct jobs and resulted in $190 million in total investment due to the state’s $30 million of seed funding. (Source: PolicyLink, The Food Trust, The Reinvestment Fund, A Healthy Food Financing Initiative: An Innovative Approach to Improve Health and Spark Economic Development)

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COLLECT SIGNATURES

What does a grocery store mean to you? What does it mean to your neighbor? Coworker? Or friend? These are the stories elected officials of Kansas City need to hear.

People in your community can share their stories by using KC Healthy Kids’ postcard or online survey.

“What a Grocery Store Means to Me” stories will be highlighted when KC Healthy Kids delivers the postcards to city officials during the campaign. We will collect stories in KCMO through March 2016, then turn our attention to KCK through June 2016.

• Postcards: Let us know about events in your community and we’ll giveyou postcards for collecting signatures.

• Online Survey: Share this link on your website, social media, andnewsletters. http://www.kchealthykids.org/i-support-fresh-food-financing/

• Copy and paste this text into your enewsletter, website or otherelectronic communications. If you need to write out the link for aprinted newsletter, use this: http://www.kchealthykids.org/i-support-fresh-food-financing/

Quick Survey: Your Response Can Help Create a Healthier Kansas City

Show your support for more and better grocery stores in food deserts!

We want all Kansas City residents to be able to shop with dignity, so we’re asking elected officials to support grocery store renovation and development in food deserts.

Help us refresh our neighborhoods through Fresh Food Financing by showing you support grocery store renovation and development in neighborhoods without access to fresh, affordable food. Please take this three-question survey. It will take less than a minute of your time, but it can make a huge difference for generations to come.

Take the Survey

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COMMUNICATION TOOLS

These communications tools will help you tell your friends, neighbors and community members about this campaign and how they can show their support. You can copy, paste and personalize them for your own communications efforts.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the editor are a way to show support for Fresh Food Financing in a BIG way. Depending on the reach of your newspaper, the letter could be seen by hundreds and even thousands of people in your community. Here are two samples of letters to the editor. Please feel free to use them when writing your own. But first, read these tips!

• Visit your newspaper’s website to find out how to submit a letter to theeditor. Different papers have different requirements. Don’t hesitate to callor email the paper’s editor if you have any questions.

• Before your properly submit your letter to the editor, make sure you haveincluded the following:

• The title/purpose of the letter• Your name and contact information• A link to KC Healthy Kids’ website for more information

on fresh food financing: kchealthykids.org• Different newspapers have different word limits on letters, but as a

general rule, always try to keep the letter short and on message.• Letters to the editor are a platform for sharing personal stories and facts.

Use facts and data from a trustworthy source.

We’ve made it easy for you with two options you can use. You can copy/paste the first one word-for-word, or you can tailor the second one to your priorities.

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Option 1: Copy and paste this word-for-word:

Affordable Food: Kansas City’s Path to Health and Economic Vitality

Going to the grocery store is something that’s easy to take for granted. But for 29.7 million people in America who live in food deserts—areas where it’s difficult to buy affordable, healthy food—that trip to the grocery store is anything but easy. The result? Access to healthy produce, lean protein, dairy and other staples is limited at best, and simply not an option for many. Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are no exception. Over 200,000 people in the combined counties of Clay, Jackson, and Wyandotte live in food deserts.

Residents are forced to rely on corner stores that often lack nutritious foods. As a result, families suffer disproportionately high rates of obesity, diabetes and other preventable health conditions. It also means that job opportunities are lost, along with new revenue streams generated from healthy food retail and distribution.

The solution? Fresh Food Financing funds. This critical public/private loan and grant financing helps food retailers overcome the costly initial barriers to operating in low-income and underserved communities.

It’s time for Kansas City to consider a Fresh Food Financing fund. Our 200,000 plus neighbors who live in food deserts deserve access to healthy, affordable food.

Learn more at kchealthykids.org.

Option 2: Tailor your message by choosing one of three main points according to your own priorities: creating jobs, improving health and preventing disease, or eliminating food deserts.

Affordable Food: Kansas City’s Path to Health and Economic Vitality

Going to the grocery store is something that’s easy to take for granted. But for roughly 29.7 million people in America, that trip to the grocery store is anything but easy. That’s because they live in food deserts, where a lack of grocery stores means access to healthy produce, lean protein, dairy and other staples is limited at best, and simply not an option for many. Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are no exception. Over 200,000

Use this opening:

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people in the combined counties of Clay, Jackson, and Wyandotte live in food deserts. The solution? Fresh Food Financing funds. This critical public/private loan and grant financing helps food retailers overcome the costly initial barriers to operating in low-income and underserved communities.

Pick one of the following paragraphs based on your priorities:

1. Improved grocery retail can create jobs. We’ve seen this type of program work elsewhere in the country. Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative, seeded with $30 million from the Department of Community and Economic Development, has supported nearly 90 fresh food retail projects statewide, creating or retaining more than 5,000 jobs and improving access to healthy foods for more than 400,000 residents.

2. Improved grocery retail can improve health and prevent disease.People who live in food deserts are more likely to suffer from obesity, diabetes and other preventable health conditions. That’s because corner stores and convenience stores are their only option. Studies show that the closer we live to a neighborhood grocery store, the more likely we are to live healthier lives and have a lower body weight.

3. Improved grocery retail can help people who need help the most.Increasing the number of fresh food vendors in dense urban neighborhoods makes it easier for the elderly, disabled, and residents without cars to buy healthy foods.

It’s time for Kansas City to consider a Fresh Food Financing fund. Our 200,000 plus neighbors who live in food deserts deserve access to healthy, affordable food.

Learn more at kchealthykids.org.

Add this closing:

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NEWSLETTER INSERTS

Does your organization send weekly or monthly newsletters? Share these inserts drafted by our partners at the American Heart Association, Voices For Healthy Kids, with your newsletter subscribers.

INFORMATIONAL MESSAGE

Food Desserts: An American Epidemic Our nation is in the midst of a food crisis: more than 29 million people in America don’t have access to healthy food options. That’s because they live in “food deserts,” the USDA’s term for areas without grocery stores. For people living in food deserts, it’s often easier to find a can of grape soda than it is to find a bunch of grapes.

Fresh Food Financing funds can help change all that. These critical loan and grant financing programs help fresh and affordable food retailers overcome the renovation costs and higher initial barriers to entry into low-income and underserved communities—barriers like land acquisition financing, construction and workforce development.

Learn more about Fresh Food Financing and how it can make a difference in Kansas City. http://www.kchealthykids.org/program/fresh-food-financing/

ADVOCACY MESSAGE

Take Action and Support Fresh Food Financing

Each week, in 20 percent of households in America, grocery shopping is harder than it needs to be. That’s because people in these communities—more than 29 million across the country—lack access to grocery stores and the healthy produce, lean proteins and whole grains that come along with them.

Whether they’re in big cities or small towns, these families are forced to rely on understocked convenience stores or take inconvenient, hours-long trips to buy the food that keeps them happy and healthy. But there’s a solution to this problem: Fresh Food Financing. Contact your elected officials today

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and tell them to support programs that renovate and build grocery stores and revitalize local economies.

People without access to grocery stores are more likely to be overweight or obese and have the diseases that come along with these conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease and more. On the other hand, people who live near grocery stores are more likely to have healthier eating patterns and a lower risk of obesity.

We’re working to bring healthy food retail to Kansas City. Join us in the fight by contacting your local elected officials today, collecting postcards at community events, posting on social media or submitting a letter to the editor. Visit http://www.kchealthykids.org/program/fresh-food-financing/ to learn more about how you can advocate for a Fresh Food Financing fund.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook:

Fresh Food Financing funds help communities access fresh produce, lean proteins and dairy. Learn more about Fresh Food Financing and how you can advocate for it in Kansas City. http://www.kchealthykids.org/program/fresh-food-financing/

Over 200,000 people in the combined counties of Clay, Jackson and Wyandotte live in food deserts—areas where it’s difficult to buy affordable, fresh food. Learn how Fresh Food Financing can help. http://www.kchealthykids.org/program/fresh-food-financing/

Fresh Food Financing isn’t just about food access, it’s about jobs, too! Grocery stores generate economic development and support quality jobs in the community. Find out how you can support Fresh Food Financing in Kansas City and Refresh Kansas City. http://www.kchealthykids.org/program/fresh-food-financing/

Twitter:

The link to our webpage is included in the following Tweets. It has been shortened to http://bit.ly/1OJ9PZZ for use on Twitter.

200K+ ppl in Clay, Jackson & Wyandotte counties can’t accessthe #freshfood that keeps us strong. http://bit.ly/1OJ9PZZ#RefreshKC

29.7M people in America lack access to fresh, affordable food. Together we can fight #fooddeserts and #RefreshKC http://bit.ly/1OJ9PZZ

Fruit&veg, lean meats, whole grains & dairy: all KC residents deserve access to fresh, affordable food. #RefreshKC http://bit.ly/1OJ9PZZ

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We need grocery store renovation and development in KC so all kids can have access to #freshfood. #RefreshKC http://bit.ly/1OJ9PZZ

Is it easy for you to find #fresh fruits and vegetables at the grocery store? 200,000+ people in Clay, Jackson and Wyandotte counties can’t get #freshfoods. #RefreshKC http://bit.ly/1OJ9PZZ

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DIRECTORY OF ELECTED OFFICIALS

Kansas City, Missouri

Mayor Sly James29th Floor, City Hall414 East 12th StreetKansas City, MO 64106816-513-3500http://kcmayor.org/contact/contact-us

Mayor Pro Tem Scott Wagner, 1st District At-Large 22nd Floor, City Hall414 East 12th StreetKansas City, MO 64106Legislative Aide: Kimberly Randolph816-513-6503 kimberly.randolph@kcmo.org

Councilwoman Heather Hall, 1st District22nd Floor, City Hall414 East 12th StreetKansas City, MO 64106816-513-6505heather.hall@kcmo.org

Councilwoman Teresa Loar, 2nd District At-Large22nd floor, City Hall414 East 12th StreetKansas City, MO 64106816-513-6507teresa.loar@kcmo.org

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Councilman Dan Fowler, 2nd District22nd floor, City Hall414 East 12th StreetKansas City, MO 64106816-513-6509dan.fowler@kcmo.orgCouncilman Quinton Lucas, 3rd District At-Large22nd Floor, City Hall414 East 12th StreetKansas City, Mo. 64106816-513-6512quinton.lucas@kcmo.org

Councilman Jermaine Reed, 3rd District22nd Floor, City Hall414 East 12th StreetKansas City, Missouri 64106816-513-6513

Councilwoman Katheryn Shields, 4th District At-Large22nd Floor, City Hall414 E 12th StreetKansas City, Mo. 64106816-513-6515katheryn.shields@kcmo.org

Councilwoman Jolie Justus, 4th District22nd Floor, City Hall414 East 12th St.Kansas City, Mo 64106Legislative Aide: Alec Kelley alec.kelley@kcmo.org816-513-6517

Councilman Lee Barnes, Jr., 5th District At-Large 22nd floor, City Hall414 East 12th StreetKansas City, MO 64106816-513-6519Legislative Aide: Keema McCoy keema.mccoy@kcmo.org

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Councilwoman Alissia Canady, 5th District22nd floor, City Hall414 East 12th StreetKansas City, MO 64106816-513-6521alissia.canady@kcmo.org

Councilman Scott Taylor, 6th District At-LargeCity Hall, 22nd floor 414 East 12th StreetKansas City, MO 64106816-513-6523Legislative Aide: Katrina Foster katrina.foster@kcmo.org

Councilman Kevin McManus, 6th District City Hall, 22nd floor 414 East 12th StreetKansas City, MO 64106816-513-6525Legislative Aide: Fred Wickham fred.wickham@kcmo.org

Kansas City, Kansas

Mayor Mark HollandCity Hall701 North 7th Street9th FloorKansas City, KS 66101Phone: 913-573-5010Fax: 913-573-5020Email: mayorholland@wycokck.org

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Melissa Bynum, Commissioner-At-Large, District 1 (Comprises Commission Districts 1, 4, 5, 8)City Hall701 North 7th StreetSuite 979Kansas City, KS 66101Phone: 913-573-5040Fax: 913-573-5050Email: mbynum@wycokck.org

Harold T. “Hal” Walker, Commissioner-at-Large, District 2 (Comprises Commission Districts 2, 3, 6, 7)City Hall701 North 7th StreetKansas City, KS 66101Suite 979Phone: 913-573-5040Fax: 913-573-5050Email: hwalker@wycokck.org

Gayle E. Townsend, District 1City Hall701 North 7th StreetSuite 979Kansas City, KS 66101Phone: 913-573-5040Fax: 913-573-5050Email: gtownsend@wycokck.org

Brian McKiernan, District 2 City Hall701 North 7th StreetSuite 979Kansas City, KS 66101Phone: 913-573-5040Fax: 913-573-5050

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Email: bmckiernan@wycokck.org

Ann Brandau-Murguia, District 3City Hall701 North 7th StreetSuite 979Kansas City, KS 66101Phone: 913-573-5040Fax: 913-573-5050Email: amurguia@wycokck.org

Harold L. Johnson, Jr., District 4City Hall701 North 7th StreetSuite 979Kansas City, KS 66101Phone: 913-573-5040Fax: 913-573-5050Email: hjohnson@wycokck.org

Mike T. Kane, District 5City Hall701 North 7th StreetSuite 979Kansas City, KS 66101Phone: 913-573-5040Fax: 913-573-5050Email: mkane@wycokck.org

Angela Markley, District 6City Hall701 North 7th StreetSuite 979Kansas City, KS 66101Phone: Fax: 913-573-5040

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Email: amarkley@wycokck.org

James F. “Jim” Walters, District 7City Hall701 North 7th StreetSuite 979Kansas City, KS 66101Phone: 913-573-5040Fax: 913-573-5050Email: jwalters@wycokck.org

Dr. Jane Winkler Philbrook, District 8City Hall701 North 7th StreetSuite 979Kansas City, KS 66101Phone: 913-573-5040Fax: 913-573-5050Email: jphilbrook@wycokck.org