As part of the Cuyahoga County REACH grant's Fruit and Vegetable (FV) Strategy, we have partnered with local FV incentive programs to increase awareness, access, and utilization of these programs in areas of the county with the highest rates of food insecurity and chronic disease.
Voucher incentive programs for fruits and vegetables provide consumers with vouchers, coupons, or cash incentives to use at the point of purchase. These vouchers can be physical, such as paper or wood coins, or electronic, such as loyalty or debit cards. Incentives may be redeemed at participating food pantries, farmers markets, brick-and-mortar or online grocery stores, and mobile markets. Vouchers may also be used in community-supported agriculture (CSA).
The FV programs in Ohio include:
- Produce Perks
- Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program
- Family Fruit & Vegetable Program (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
- WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program
In Year 3 of the REACH grant (2025-2026), we are partnering with the Ohio Farmers Market Network to increase redemption rates for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. We plan to:
- Send text message reminders to participants with instructions for redeeming their benefits at local farmers markets.
- Employ a Senior Advocate to conduct outreach to local seniors participating in the program, assisting them with utilizing their benefits at the farmers market.
- Set up "tech tents" at farmers markets, where staff will assist participants with navigating the Homegrown app to access their benefits and help them shop at the market.
- Partner with local organizations to arrange transportation for seniors to get to and from the farmers market.
In the first two years of the REACH grant, our team utilized the Produce Path app to expand communication campaigns for fruit and vegetable incentive programs (Produce Perks) at Cuyahoga County farmers markets.
We collaborated with the following farmers markets in 2025:
- Coit Road Farmers Market – East Cleveland
- North Union Farmers Market - Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, Shaker Heights, & University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center at Lakeside
We collaborated with the following farmers markets in 2024:
- Gateway 105 Farmers Market – Glenville neighborhood
- Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market – Kamm’s Corners neighborhood
- La Marketa (Cleveland Fresh Farmers Market) – Clark-Fulton neighborhood
- North Union Farmers Market – Cleveland Clinic Main Campus & University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center at Lakeside
- Tremont Farmer’s Market – Tremont neighborhood
Each of these markets had a profile in the Produce Path app and provided weekly updates on the vendors and products available. Our team set up a table at each market at least once during the season to show customers how to use the app. Learn more about the Produce Path app here, or visit producepath.org.
The REACH project is funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. Our partners on the project are Better Health Partnership, Catalytic Change Link, Cleveland Fresh LLC, North American Food Systems Network, Ohio Farmers Market Network, Produce Perks Midwest, and Rural Action. This project is funded from December 30, 2023 to September 29, 2028.
Contact us at reach@case.edu with any questions.