One of my most significant tasks with Nourishing the North Shore was to create simple handouts regarding the Massachusetts HIP program. In order to develop these handouts, I did extensive research on the program. This included speaking to local HIP vendors about some of the nuances of the program such as transaction limits and effective communication to community members about their benefits. These handouts can be used for advocacy and education for all members of the community including SNAP beneficiaries, HIP vendors, and other food justice non-profit organizations. 

It can be difficult for those who depend on their HIP benefits to find access to local produce in the winter. I created this resource for NNS that identifies farms in the Essex county area that accept SNAP/HIP throughout the winter. 

As the weather warms up and the growing season kicks in, more HIP vendors are open for business! Here is a guide for SNAP recipients in Massachusetts looking for HIP vendors in April through June.

I had the privilege of providing a short, educational talk about SNAP and HIP benefits to new NNS volunteers both in-person and virtually. The NNS staff and I agreed that it would be beneficial for their volunteers to have knowledge of these programs so they could better understand the NNS mission and better serve their community. The volunteers enjoyed this presentation and were amazed by HIP and what it offered to SNAP recipients. They all showed interest in spreading the word about this program.

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