Fresh Connections Rural Food Network

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Executive Summary

Fresh Connections Rural Food Network is a nonprofit in North Carolina that brings fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers to rural neighborhoods that have no grocery store nearby. A mobile market truck visits churches, community centers and housing sites on a set weekly schedule, and customers can use cash, cards and food assistance benefits, with produce incentives that stretch each dollar.

In many rural areas the nearest grocery store is miles away and families without a car go without fresh food. At the same time, small farmers need steady customers. With this grant we will pay a market coordinator and produce purchased from local farmers. We do not give medical or nutrition advice and we do not promise any health result.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $207,500. We are asking for $55,000 from a regional community fund to a market coordinator salary and produce purchased from local farmers. The rest of the budget comes from other grants, sponsors and donors that are listed in the funding section. Every dollar amount in this plan is an estimate and none of it is a promise of any result for the people we serve.

Company Description

Fresh Connections Rural Food Network is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes farmers and residents of rural communities. The board meets monthly, approves the budget and oversees the executive director. A new organization without its own determination letter can use a fiscal sponsor, explained in the funding section.

What we believe. Fresh food should be within reach of everyone, and local farms and rural neighborhoods can support each other.

What we do:
- Mobile market. A refrigerated truck sells fresh produce and a few staples on a weekly route.
- Farmer partnerships. We buy from small local farms at fair prices and help them plan for steady sales.
- Food assistance and incentives. Customers can use food assistance benefits and programs that match what they spend on fruits and vegetables, where available.
- Cooking and storage tips. Simple recipes and tips at every stop.

What we do not do. We do not sell alcohol or tobacco, give medical advice or give cash to anyone. Food safety rules are followed at every stop.

Who we serve. Residents of rural communities with limited access to grocery stores, with priority for families with low incomes, older adults and people without cars.

Our board has at least five members, including at least one person who has used our services or lives in the community we serve, and only a minority of board members may be related to each other or paid by the organization.

We keep a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy and a record retention policy, and the board reviews them every year.

Problem & Opportunity

Many rural residents live far from fresh food.

1. Distance. The nearest grocery store may be many miles away.
2. No transportation. Families without a car or older adults cannot easily reach stores.
3. High prices. Small corner stores often charge more and carry little fresh produce.
4. Health. Limited fresh food is linked with diet-related health problems.
5. Small farms need markets. Farmers struggle to find steady, nearby customers.

Why it matters now. Rural communities are losing grocery stores, while interest in local food is growing, and mobile markets offer a flexible solution.

How we know the need is real. We mapped grocery stores and travel distances in our counties, surveyed 150 residents and met with farmers and clinics. Residents said they want fresh produce close to home at a fair price, and farmers said they would sell more with a reliable partner. Several older residents told us they depend on a neighbor for rides to the store and often buy only what they can carry, which is rarely fresh food. The numbers are in the appendix.

We update these facts every year using public data, partner reports and what the people we serve tell us, and we change the program when the facts change. If a need turns out to be smaller than we thought, we will say so and put the money where it is needed most.

Products & Services

What the funded project will do. With this grant we will pay a market coordinator and produce purchased from local farmers for a full year.

How the market works:
1. Route planning. The coordinator picks stops with residents, such as churches, community centers and apartment communities, and a weekly schedule.
2. Buying. Each week we buy produce from local farmers, based on what is in season and what customers ask for.
3. Market day. The truck arrives on time, sets up with scales and a card reader and sells produce at clear prices.
4. Incentives. Customers using food assistance benefits receive produce incentives where programs are available.
5. Feedback. We ask customers what they want and adjust our orders.

What the grant pays for. The request covers the coordinator's salary and produce purchased from local farmers.

What we do not promise. We do not promise that produce prices will always be the lowest or that any customer will improve their health. We track sales, customers and farmer payments and report honestly.

Safety. We follow food safety rules, keep produce at safe temperatures and maintain the truck. Drivers pass background checks and driving record checks, and we call 911 in an emergency.

We start small, check what works and grow only when we can do the work well. Every few months we review the numbers and the stories from the people we serve and change the plan where it is not working.

We write plain-language handouts for every step so people know what to expect, what it costs and who to call with questions, and we ask each person at the end whether the help was useful and what we could do better.

Market Analysis

Who benefits from this project are residents of rural communities in our service area and the small farmers who sell to us.

Who we serve. Families, older adults, people without cars and workers in rural towns, many with low incomes and some using food assistance benefits.

How many people we plan to serve. In Year 1 we plan to run about 6 weekly stops serving about 900 households and to buy from about 12 local farms. By Year 5 we plan to run about 14 stops serving about 2,000 households. We chose these numbers from the capacity of one truck and a coordinator at first and a second route in later years.

Where we serve. Rural towns and unincorporated areas in our counties without a nearby grocery store.

Who else benefits. Local farmers who gain steady sales, small stores that gain foot traffic and clinics that see more families eating fresh food.

How we will be careful. We do not collect more information than needed and we treat every customer with respect.

We choose how many people to serve from the number of staff, hours and rooms we really have, not from the size of the need. If we reach fewer people than planned, we will report it and explain why.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices in our area.

1. Grocery stores. Offer wide choice but are far away.
2. Dollar and convenience stores. Offer low prices on packaged food but little fresh produce.
3. Farmers markets. Offer fresh produce but may be in towns and on weekdays.
4. Food pantries. Provide food but not fresh produce reliably.
5. Home delivery services, which may not reach rural areas.

What makes us different. We bring fresh produce to people's neighborhoods on a set schedule at fair prices and buy from local farms. We work with food pantries and farmers markets and refer customers to them.

How we avoid duplication. We meet with pantries, markets and county health programs each season to share schedules and avoid overlapping stops.

We keep a written list of every other organization that does similar work in our area and review it each year. If another group can serve a person better, we refer the person and say so plainly. Funders can expect us to tell the truth about overlap, to share what we learn and to work as part of a larger network of help.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach residents once the project is funded.

Community partners. Churches, community centers, schools and housing sites will host stops and tell neighbors.

Flyers and signs. Large-print flyers and roadside signs at each stop.

Word of mouth. Customers tell neighbors about good produce and fair prices. With permission, we share stories.

Digital outreach. A simple website and social media will share the weekly route and what is in season. We will not post customers' pictures without permission.

Access. Materials will be in plain language, in English and Spanish and large print, and stops will be at times when people are home.

Farmer partners. Farmers will promote the market to their customers and neighbors.

Measuring outreach. We will track customers per stop and adjust the route and schedule where it is not working. We will also ask customers each season which foods they want more of and which stop times suit them.

Marketing budget. Outreach and printing are part of the program budget.

Most people hear about services from someone they already trust, so we spend more time with partners and neighbors than on advertising. We write our materials in plain language, test them with a few people from the community and fix anything that confuses them.

Operations Plan

How the project will be carried out, in plain terms.

Timeline for Year 1. Months 1 and 2: hire the coordinator and driver, finish the truck set-up and permits and sign farmer agreements. Months 3 to 12: run weekly stops, buy produce each week and track sales.

Space. The truck is parked at a secure location, and stops are held at host sites with their permission.

Partners. Local farmers, host sites, the county health department and food assistance offices. Each has a written agreement.

Safety, food and vehicle rules. We follow food safety rules, keep temperatures logged and wash produce stands. The truck is inspected and maintained on a schedule, and drivers hold the license the vehicle requires. We call 911 in an emergency.

Money controls. Farmers are paid on delivery by check or transfer, and two people review every payment. We keep a record of each sale.

Records and reporting. We track stops, customers, sales and farmer payments and report to funders each quarter.

Training. Staff receive training in food safety, customer service and safe driving.

We write down every step of the project in a short manual so that any trained staff member can carry it out the same way. We hold a short team meeting every week to review problems, safety concerns and numbers, and we ask the people we serve for feedback at least twice a year.

Management & Organization

The executive director leads the organization and manages the budget and partners. The market coordinator plans routes, buys produce and manages sales, and the driver and outreach associate drives the truck and works with customers.

The team. Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance. The numbers in parentheses are how many people we plan to have in Years 1 through 5.
- Executive Director: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $56,000 a year each.
- Market Coordinator: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $44,000 a year each.
- Driver and Outreach Associate (part-time): 1, 1, 2, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $22,000 a year each.

Governance and money controls. A volunteer board of directors oversees the budget and the executive director. Two people review every payment, the board reviews financial statements every month, an outside accountant prepares the yearly tax return and audit-ready records, and every grant is tracked in its own budget line. We screen staff and volunteers who work with the people we serve, train everyone on privacy and safety and keep written policies on conflicts of interest and complaints.

Staff and advisors. We seek staff with experience in food, farming or retail and welcome people from rural communities. An advisory group of a farmer, a nurse, a resident and a grocer meets quarterly.

Feedback and complaints. Anyone we serve can give feedback or a complaint by phone, in writing or in person, and can ask to speak with the board chair. We reply within five working days, keep a log of every complaint and report the themes to the board each quarter. No one loses services for speaking up.

Milestones Narrative

Goals for each of the first five years and how we will measure results. These are goals, not promises.
- Before the grant starts (3 to 4 months before the grant starts): hire the coordinator and driver, finish the truck set-up and permits, sign farmer and host agreements and plan the first routes
- Year 1: run about 6 weekly stops serving about 900 households and buy from about 12 farms. The budget is $207,500.
- Year 2: add stops and a produce incentive match. The budget is $212,000.
- Year 3: add a second driver and a school stop. The budget is $239,500.
- Year 4: add a second route. The budget is $289,500.
- Year 5: run about 14 stops serving about 2,000 households and publish a plain results report. The budget is $295,000.

How we will measure results: households served, stops run, pounds of produce sold, farmer payments, customers using food assistance and customer satisfaction. We report results to funders in the same plain numbers we use here, and we say honestly when a goal was missed and what we changed.

We report to funders every quarter and send a short plain-language summary to our board each month. At the end of each year we review all of the goals, publish a short results report and update the plan for the next year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $55,000 from a regional community fund for a market coordinator salary and produce purchased from local farmers, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Market Coordinator salary, $40,000.
- Other: Produce purchased from local farmers, $15,000 (other funds add $5,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 33% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $207,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $7,900 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grant revenue $167,500; individual donations $22,000; market sales and produce incentive programs $18,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $56,000; market coordinator $44,000; driver and outreach associate (part-time) $22,000; produce purchased from local farmers about $40,000; mobile market fuel and maintenance about $12,000; food safety supplies, scales and display about $6,000; outreach and printing about $6,000; administration and insurance about $12,000.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $17,400 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $5,000 for used refrigerated box truck set up as a mobile market, $3,000 for scales, tables, tents and a card reader for market stops, $2,400 for opening produce purchase and packaging, $2,200 for food safety certification, vehicle inspection and permits, $2,200 for policy review and legal setup, and $2,600 for truck wrap, banners and a simple website.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($17,400), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $49,500, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $67,000. We start with $14,000 of our own savings and $54,500 in startup support from a local foundation and our board, $68,500 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $207,500 in Year 1 to about $295,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $167,500, $160,000, $175,500, $213,500, $207,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans a small surplus each year, about $7,900, $7,700, $8,200, $8,800 and $8,800 in Years 1 to 5, which we put into savings.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $61,700, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $8,300 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Individual donors and market sales and produce incentive programs grow each year, so grants become a smaller share. Farmers and county programs may share costs.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- The truck may break down. We keep up maintenance and arrange a backup vehicle.
- Produce may spoil. We buy to demand and use temperature logs.
- A grant may end. We grow donors and sales each year and keep savings.
- Farmers may have a poor harvest. We buy from many farms.
- Weather may cancel stops. We keep a flexible schedule.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller with one site or one staff member and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this proposal:

- Your IRS determination letter showing 501(c)(3) status, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your board list and board minutes approving the application.
- Your most recent budget and financial statements.
- A list of other funders and what each has given or been asked to give.
- Your farmer agreements, route plan and food safety plan.
- Truck inspection and permit records.
- Host site agreements.
- Letters of support from residents and farmers.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $167,500 in Year 1, growing to $207,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donations: $22,000 in Year 1, growing to $38,000 in Year 5.
- Market Sales and Produce Incentive Programs: $18,000 in Year 1, growing to $50,000 in Year 5.
- Staff pay is shown in the management section and includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: produce purchased from local farmers $40,000, mobile market fuel and maintenance $12,000, food safety supplies, scales and display $6,000, outreach and printing $6,000, and administration and insurance $12,000. These grow between 4% and 8% a year as the program grows.
- Grant and partner payments arrive after we bill, so about $8,300 (4% of Year 1 income) is owed to us at the end of Year 1.
- The program does not pay income tax. Any surplus stays in the program.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real numbers.

Plain words used in this proposal:
- Grant: money given for a specific purpose that does not have to be paid back, as long as it is spent as promised.
- Request: the part of the budget we are asking this funder to pay for.
- Surplus: money left over after a year's costs. A small surplus is healthy because it builds savings for slow months.
- Startup costs: one-time costs, such as equipment, paid once before the program runs at full speed.
- Working capital: cash kept in the bank to pay bills while waiting for grant payments.
- In-kind: goods or services given instead of money, such as donated space.
- Fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for a new group and passes the money to its program, usually for a fee.
- 501(c)(3): the tax status that lets a nonprofit receive tax-deductible gifts and many grants.

How to read the numbers. Every income and cost figure is a plan, not a result. Income rises as sponsors and donors join, costs rise a little each year, and each year's budget is planned to balance with a small surplus. Startup costs are shown separately because they are paid once. If a real number turns out different, we will update the plan and tell our funders why.

Startup Costs