The Health and Hunger Task Force met in August to discuss recent changes to food and nutrition assistance programs, including SNAP work requirements, TEFAP eligibility, Fresh Access Bucks, and updates to Florida’s SNAP administrative funding. Leaders also discussed how these changes are affecting neighbors, community organizations, and healthcare systems, emphasizing the need to strengthen community infrastructure and cross-sector relationships.
The meeting also featured updates on the Common Metrics governance framework and Beacon, including proposed data-sharing agreements, organizational roles and responsibilities, data access processes, and upcoming Beacon 101 training opportunities. The Closed-Loop Referral Workgroup shared findings and recommendations from its community interviews and focus groups, with a focus on improving referral practices, strengthening collaboration among systems, and centering success on whether community members ultimately access the resources they need. The Task Force also introduced a new Healthcare Pathway opportunity designed to strengthen connections between food distribution and healthcare partners.
For more details on the discussion, resources, training opportunities, and upcoming meetings, please see the Meeting Follow-Up notes.