Chesterhill Produce Auction

Finance Fund’s Healthy Food for Ohio (HFFO) Supports Local Growers and
Buyers in Southeast Ohio

Finance Fund’s HFFO programming enabled Chesterhill Produce Auction to
better serve local growers and customers in 11 Southeast Ohio counties.
Grant support administered by Finance Fund provided modern refrigeration
equipment critical to the transport of locally-grown produce in and around
Morgan County.

Because of the HFFO grant provided through Finance Fund, Southeastern Ohio
farmers participating in the Chesterhill Produce Auction can now better
transport food to the auction itself as well as to the benefit of their Buying
Club Members, to Country Fresh Stops (schools, hospitals, convenience
stores, and other retailers that sell Chesterhill produce), and to Farm to
School operators. Chesterhill Produce Auction, a program administered
by regional economic development agency Rural Action, plays a critical
role in growing the local food economy and contributing to the health and
wellness of Southeastern Ohioans regardless of income limitations.

Debbie Phillips, Executive Director of Rural Action, had this to say about
her experience with HFFO:

“During the pandemic, our ability to deliver this produce became even more
important. Support from HFFO is helping us to update the refrigeration unit on one
of our trucks, which is critical to maintaining access to fresh food for people in the
region, and for farmers to connect to markets. This program is a smart investment
with multiple returns in terms of market access and improved nutrition and all that
flows in terms of better health outcomes.”

The small town of Chesterhill, located in southern Morgan County,
experiences many of the same challenges as much of Appalachia. Of the
289 residents, 26% are in poverty and 16% are food insecure. If you drive
across a 25-mile radius from Chesterhill’s town center, you will fi nd no
grocery stores and few places to buy fresh produce.

HFFO provides flexible financing to fund costs associated with land
acquisition, predevelopment, construction, equipment, infrastructure, and
related expenses. Financing can be used for capital projects to build new
healthy food retail or expand existing facilities in underserved areas. A
wide range of projects are eligible for funding including grocery stores,
neighborhood food stores, co-op markets, food hubs, farmers’ markets,
meal delivery services, food nutrition education, and other innovations to
drive food retail access to Ohioans that struggle to access fresh foods.

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