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Glynwood Center, Inc.

Expanding Access to Fresh Food in the Hudson Valley and New York City

In 2024, NYHealth awarded the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming a grant to provide support across a network of farms in the Hudson Valley and expand the CSA is a SNAP program for SNAP customers.

Healthy Food, Healthy Lives

Grantee Name

Glynwood Center, Inc.

Funding Area

Healthy Food, Healthy Lives

Publication Date

February 2026

Grant Amount

$101,861

Grant Date:

September 2024

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New York State’s Hudson Valley region is home to thousands of farms that produce millions of pounds of food annually. And yet, many Hudson Valley and nearby New York City residents struggle with food insecurity and lack access to nutrient-dense, fresh food. The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model is one way to create access to healthy foods supplied by local farms. In a traditional CSA model, customers pay upfront for a season-long share of produce and receive weekly pickups at community locations such as schools, churches, and health care sites. Because Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rules do not allow advance payments, participation is inaccessible for SNAP customers.

Glynwood Center piloted the CSA is a SNAP program, which provides SNAP customers with a 1:1 matching benefit, allows them to make weekly payments, and ensures Hudson Valley farmers receive the full cost of CSA shares for SNAP customers. The program is unique because it operates across a coordinated network of multiple farms and includes a SNAP community ambassador program for outreach. In 2024, NYHealth awarded the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming a grant to provide support across a network of farms in the Hudson Valley and expand the CSA is a SNAP program for SNAP customers.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Increased access and participation: CSA shares were distributed by 22 farms across 63 sites in the Hudson Valley and New York City.
  • Improved diets: More than 88% of participants reported eating more fruits and vegetables because of the program.
  • Strong participant satisfaction: More than 93% of participants rated their experience as positive, and over 75% planned to continue with the program.
  • Strengthened farms: Participating farms reported stronger connections to their communities, improvements in operations, and progress toward their social equity goals.
  • Increased awareness: The expanded SNAP ambassador program supported recruitment and awareness, with 11 ambassadors working directly in their communities.
  • Expanded knowledge sharing: Glynwood developed a toolkit highlighting elements that make the CSA is a SNAP program successful to share with the CSA-Innovation Network (CSA-IN) resource library.

The project showed that outreach and enrollment require sustained, community-based effort. Recruiting SNAP participants was more successful when farms partnered with trusted local organizations and ambassadors. Administrative tasks like reporting and invoicing can be challenging for small farms, underscoring the importance of clear systems and hands-on technical support. Language access also proved essential; multilingual materials and bilingual staff strengthened participation while highlighting the need for continued investment in language justice.

Overall, CSA is a SNAP demonstrated that subsidized CSAs can improve food access, support farm businesses, and build more equitable local food systems.

Co-Funding and Additional Funds Leveraged: USDA (4-year, $500,000 grant)

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