Missouri Rural Food Access Partnership

The mission of the Missouri Rural Food Access Partnership is to build resilient, equitable  food access for all Missourians through the development of a comprehensive, community-focused statewide Food Financing Program. 

The Partnership was formed in November 2023 by four founding organizational members, Empower Missouri, University of Missouri Extension, IFF and Missouri Coalition for the Environment, and launched in the summer of 2024 with the financial support of a 3-year, $1M grant from America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative Partnerships Program. 

The Partnership has received a 3-year, $1 million grant from America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiatives Partnerships Program to:

• Better understand the strengths and challenges facing rural communities that currently lack access to adequate healthy food resources.
• Support 6 rural communities in exploring innovative solutions to create local access to healthy food through participation in the Missouri EATs community development curriculum and development of a community-centric Food System Action Plan
• Provide technical assistance resources to viable community-supported food retail or food enterprise projects to assist with fundability.
• Identify and engage new partners who are interested in participating in the development and funding of a statewide Food Financing Program that will support innovative food retail and food enterprise projects in all areas of the state that lack access to adequate healthy food resources. 

If you are interested in creating healthy, resilient, equitable community-based food systems for all Missourians, consider joining the Missouri Rural Food Access Partnership.