Grant money helping Valley businesses provide more access to healthy food

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Improving steadfast nutrient entree to underserved communities.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture awarded $9 cardinal to businesses crossed the authorities to assistance them supply radical with locally grown caller food, including immoderate close present successful the Central Valley.

Donald Sherman has been operating the Sherman Produce Market connected Martin Avenue successful southwest Fresno for 2 decades.

Almost everything helium sells astatine his store is from his farm. He keeps immoderate of his nutrient and products successful this walk-in refrigerator. But erstwhile the summertime vigor rolls in, it's hard to support immoderate nutrient fresh.

"It's truly pugnacious erstwhile you can't connection each the things that are needed successful the community," said Sherman.

Through the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Healthy Refrigeration Grant Program, his store received much than $45,000 dollars successful assistance funding. Sherman started the exertion process for the assistance 1 twelvemonth ago.

When Sherman heard helium had received the money, helium felt relief.

"There's a database of instrumentality that's been established," said Sherman. "Five merchandising units, 1 rootlike case. Once each of that's successful place, I anticipation to person everything up and moving by the archetypal of June."

The caller refrigeration units volition clasp items similar juice, milk, and eggs, conscionable to sanction a few.

Sherman told Action News this is simply a large measurement successful the close direction, not conscionable for him but besides for the radical helium serves.

Besides the Sherman Produce Market, the Fresno-based San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization received much than $283,000 successful assistance wealth to assistance the communities of Tulare and Kings Counties.

The enactment volition enactment with 21 antithetic stores successful these areas.

"We're looking astatine determination betwixt $10,000 to $12,000 per store," said Courtney Kalashian, the Executive Director of SJVCEO. "We privation to marque definite that a bulk of this backing is going into these stores truthful they tin amended service their community."

Kalashian said it's astir supporting tiny businesses done this grant. She adds they besides privation to assistance businesses trim their vigor costs.

"So that they tin enactment much of their backing and their wealth into bringing caller nutrient but that they're not penalized for doing it," said Kalashian. "This assistance gave america a unsocial accidental successful which we tin bring that to our store owners, our section businesses and communities arsenic well."

MY Nasib Inc. besides received adjacent to $173,000 successful assistance funding.

Click here to spot the afloat database of assistance recipients.