City of Camden, New Jersey 

In 2015, DVRPC staff completed the Camden Food Economy Strategy. Funded by the Campbell’s Soup Company, the strategy built off Camden’s existing assets by identifying opportunities to increase food access and economic opportunities within the city. It analyzed the city’s current food system and food economy, and acknowledged the challenges that residents face in accessing healthy food. The report recommended growing food as an economic sector, increasing opportunities for food entrepreneurs, engaging Camden’s institutions, and supporting organizations already working to increase access to healthy food, healthcare, and job opportunities.  Campbell’s invested $10 million over 10 years in their Healthy Communities initiative with the ultimate goal of reducing childhood hunger and obesity in Camden. Each year, they funded multiple organizations that were working in Camden to address this issue, of which DVRPC was one.  Stakeholders including the Food Trust, Food Bank of South NJ, the Campbell Healthy Communities program, The Reinvestment Fund, DVRPC, and others, stayed involved as a collective impact group, continuing to be funded through the Campbell’s support.  The collective impact model is a collaborative approach that involves multiple organizations and sectors working together to address complex social issues through five conditions:² 

1. A common agenda, including a defined problem and a shared vision to solve it. 
2. Shared measurement allowing for continuous learning and accountability 
3. Mutually reinforcing activities.  
4. Continuous communications, building trust and strengthening relationships. 
5. Strong backbone, aligning and coordinating the work of the group.  

 A critical piece of the collective impact model is that all partners are working together toward a common agenda.  

The initial Campbells backbone funding of $10 million supported the collective impact group, the Camden Collective of Healthcare Providers, and each of the 10 member organizations received funds to manage their own food systems development projects. The collective impact group met at Campbells Headquarters every month, spurring strong relationships.  Competition between the organizations was eliminated thanks to backbone funding to work together. The Camden Food Collective also engages community health workers to connect people to health services through corner stores.  

Interesting developments have come out of the Camden Food Security Collective, including best practices like: 

• Youth-led mini-grant program. DVRPC worked with the Camden Youth Advisory Council to develop and run a youth-led mini-grant program.  

• Funding food entrepreneurship. The Fair Food Fund supported the start-up of a food entrepreneur fund in Camden and the Community Foundation of South NJ is working to fund food entrepreneurs. 

• Alternatives to grocery stores. Mobile markets became a solution to the issue of food deserts. In 2017, Virtua Health’s Eat Well initiative launched two mobile markets. This traveling produce stand sells fruits and vegetables at eight locations throughout Burlington and Camden counties and features significantly subsidized produce, supplied through a partnership with Whole Foods Markets. Seasonal produce is obtained through a partnership with Free Haven Educational Farms. The mobile farmers market provides a 50% discount to customers who use their SNAP/EBT card. The Mobile Market has distributed over 250,000 lbs. of fresh produce since it launched. In 2020, Virtua Health started the Eat Well Mobile Grocery Store, which took a decommissioned 40-foot city bus donated by NJ Transit and converted it into a year-round store on wheels, providing access to fresh fruits, vegetables, bread, milk, eggs, rice, meat and more at several locations across the two counties.  

• Nutrition education.  Launched in 2014 by the Food Trust, the Heart Smarts Program provides nutrition education and heart-healthy food vouchers, Heart Bucks, which can be used at a variety of corner stores throughout the City of Camden. In the first year, $3,000 worth of Heart Bucks were distributed to 750 people, with a redemption rate of about 85%. This has increased to $10,740 worth of Heart Bucks to almost 2,000 people in 2020-2021 with redemption rates of about 99% in recent years. The Heart Smarts Program also includes health screenings, in partnership with the Camden County Health Department.  

• Produce prescriptions. Produce prescription programs are spreading throughout Camden including  the below: 

• • Food Bucks Rx (FBRx) is a produce prescription program, managed by The Food Trust and several healthcare partners. The first pilot was launched in 2018 in partnership with the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers (Camden Coalition), Cooper Pediatrics, and Fayer’s Market, with funding from Campbell Soup Company and USDA. Cooper Pediatrics screens families for food needs during child’s regular checkups; if a need is identified, social workers provide families with food resource information like the location of food pantries. Those already enrolled in SNAP also received FBRx vouchers that they can redeem for fresh fruits and vegetables at Fayer’s Market or at the seasonal Virtua Farmers Market. In 2020, families with children enrolled in Medicaid plans became eligible to receive FBRx also. 

• • Virtua Health’s Food as Medicine Program refers patients with diet-related chronic diseases who are also experiencing food insecurity to the Eat Well Food Farmacy program, which provides nutrition education, social support services, and access to free produce and nonperishable groceries. Virtua Health also provides FBRx to patients to complement other services.  

A 10-year report showcases the work done through the Camden Food Security Collective as supported by Campbells.  Recently, the Camden Coalition stepped down as the backbone and The Food Bank of South Jersey is now filling the role of the lead organization. 

CEDS and Food Systems 

DVRPC has shown how a large metropolitan EDD/MPO can integrate a variety of its areas of expertise to have an impact on the food system.  

Growing Greater Philadelphia, the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for Greater Philadelphia was adopted in 2019 and outlines four primary goals: Maximize Human Capital Potential, Attain Regional Growth and Global Connectivity, Strengthen Infrastructure, and Support Inclusive Growth to Empower Communities. Staff included projects within each of these goal areas using the food economy as both a regional and local economic driver.  

In 2019, DVRPC staff from the Goods Movement Forum and the CEDS Committee addressed the need to build a resilient supply chain focused on small businesses as strong economic anchors. This forum also addressed the need to strengthen regional infrastructure, particularly the region’s ports and rail systems. 

In 2021, DVRPC staff worked closely with staff at the U.S. EDA, Philadelphia region and EPA Region II and III, to develop a multi part webinar series, the Intersection of Food and the Local Economic Development. This webinar series was developed to chart pathways within the emerging sectors of urban agriculture, between small businesses, entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, and government agencies. Held virtually in March 2021, the webinar series brought in experts from a variety of agricultural sectors, addressing the need to prepare a local workforce in the agricultural sector as well as understanding the need to build a more local food supply to mitigate potential economic shocks (note this was pre-COVID).  

Lastly, DVRPC staff were able to ensure the goals of the CEDS and their long-range regional plan were aligned with the development of the Cultivating the Homegrown Economy Tool. This Municipal Implementation Tool (MIT) discusses the shift toward greater support for local economies, local goods and services. This tool define relevant terms to know; identify key attributes and benefits of the homegrown economy; provides specific strategies; and highlights a successful and resilient local economy. Over the past two decades, society has demonstrated a shift towards support for homegrown economies through increased consumer prioritization of local goods and services. This tool highlighted the elements of successful local economies-appreciation of resources, citizen participation, government leadership, and inter-community cooperation. This tool directly addressed strategies and objectives related to building strong communities, as outlined in the CEDS.  

Lessons Learned: 

1. Economic development connections. Food systems work is connected to various areas of economic development, including planning, economic development, entrepreneurship, health, social services, transportation, and more.  
2. Collective impact can be a useful framework for thinking about food systems, as there are a variety of organizational types that care about food, each doing what they do best. “Collective impact is a network of community members, organizations, and institutions who advance equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions to achieve population and systems level change.”³
3. Foundations, especially those connected to food, health, and nutrition, may be good partners in food systems work.