Rep. Brown Announces Federal Award to Expand Access to Healthy Foods in Northeast Ohio

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Shontel M. Brown (OH-11) announced the Paing Family Asian Grocery in Akron, OH has been awarded $120,000 in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). The funds will be used to strengthen the local food network in the store’s South Akron neighborhood and expand access to healthy foods.

“This federal funding will ensure the Paing Family Grocery can continue to provide fresh, healthy foods in South Akron,” said Rep. Brown. “Awards like this that support local retailers in underserved communities are exactly why I called for robust funding for HFFI next year.” 

Authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, HFFI aims to improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas, to create and preserve quality jobs, and to build a more equitable food system that supports the health and economic vibrancy of all Americans.

Rep. Brown, along with Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-03), led a letter to Congressional Appropriators in April urging them to support $25 million for HFFI in the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations process.

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