Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming

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, but it has historically been out of reach for SNAP recipients. 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 to expand a replicable CSA program for SNAP customers.

Under this grant, Glynwood promoted outreach, scaling, and replication of the CSA is a SNAP program throughout the region and State. The program provided SNAP customers with a 1:1 matching benefit, allowed them to make weekly payments, and ensured farmers receive the full cost of CSA shares for SNAP customers. It also allowed SNAP customers in the Hudson Valley and New York City to have easier access to fresh, locally grown food, and small-scale farms in the region has new markets that improve their economic viability.