This week NOAH announced it was recently awarded $48,500 to assist residents of East Boston to gain access to food from the Mayor’s Food Access Destigmatization Grant.
The critically important food access grant will assist NOAH, with moving the needle even further by tearing down negative stigmatization sometimes associated with getting state and federally funded food assistance from organizations like SNAP, HIP and WIC.
According to Latifa Ziyad, NOAH’s planning resilience coordinator, NOAH has decided to use the grant money to create a unique outdoor interactive concert series called HIP HIP Hurray! 2 SNAPs and WICked FUN with the help of Zumix, the neighborhood’s premier music and performing arts program.
From April to September 2022 Ziyad said residents strolling through Central Square on Saturday evening once a month might need to throw on their dancing shoes.
“The event will facilitate healthy cooking demos by gogobytes and offer sign-ups for food
assistance programs during a live musical performance,” she said. “Incentives will be offered for signing up. The concert series will host a kick-off event starting Earth Day Weekend, Saturday April 23.”
NOAH, with help from La Collaborativa in Chelsea and local Eastie partners, was able to distribute 200,000 pounds of food during the height of the 2020-21 pandemic, after being awarded a Boston Resiliency grant from the City.
“This grant program will help us connect with residents in fun ways” said Executive
Director of NOAH Phil Giffee. “Many people still don’t know what the MA HIP program stands for. Even I had to get familiar with the Healthy Incentives Program, which increases access to fresh, local produce and simply helps leverage SNAP dollars without additional paperwork.”
Giffee said destigmatization is very important for the Eastie community because diverse Hispanic communities still seeking citizenship may stay away from these federally established programs for a perceived threat infringing on their citizenship status.
Ziyad added that each event will also try to uplift environmental justice efforts with the final event scheduled for September during National Preparedness month. Attendees can join the Climate Resilience Network (CREW), a new initiative started by NOAH to address several systemic community concerns. CREW, Communities Responding to Extreme Weather will be handing out survival kits.
“Cooling Kits will help residents stay cool during heat waves,” said the Rev. Vernon K. Walker, Senior Program Manager of CREW. “The event will host a short Moth-like talk, called WICked Fun Mystery Guest, where a local surprise guest influencer or politician will share how they’ve been assisted in their journey.”
Aside from Zumix, Eastie partners will assist in getting the word out to residents and include the Central Assembly Church of God, East Boston Main Streets, East Boston Community Soup Kitchen, East Boston Social Centers and East Boston Neighborhood Health Centers.
This isn’t the first time NOAH and Zumix have teamed up to fight inequities. Zumix recently received a grant through the city’s Digital Equity Fund and has decided to team up with NOAH to focus on a growing digital divide in the COVID era.
Zumix received a $63,000 grant and the partnership with NOAH will connect Boston’s youth and adults with media training. Through sequential program offerings, Zumix and NOAH will help local youth and adults alike deepen their computer and digital skills, engage in production opportunities, and explore future careers in the film industry.