Table Magazine, Fall 2021

Confronting Food Insecurity
with Massachusetts Avenue Project

Delivering meal kits with purpose

For many families on a restricted or limited budget, fresh produce can be the first thing cut from the grocery list. But it comes at the cost of nutrition. And while meal delivery kits have exploded over the past few years—catering to overworked families looking for a nutritious meal—they aren’t always the most affordable options. That’s where the Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) saw an opportunity and turned to Rich Products to market something new.

Fresh foods—produce in particular—play a vital role in keeping individuals and families healthy. By leveraging partnerships with farms and community organizations around Buffalo, MAP is able to meet the changing needs of their customers and help Buffalo families keep fresh food on the table. Recently, the project launched two meal kits—the All Access Pass and Produce Box— to ensure that fresh, nutritious foods stayed on the tables of families across the West Side and throughout the city of Buffalo, regardless of finances.

The All Access Pass is designed to maximize food budgets, making it easier for families to keep fresh produce on their grocery lists. A one-of-a-kind program, the pass extends the cost-saving benefits to families on a longer-term basis, guaranteeing greater accessibility to fresh produce, and ultimately, access to the nutrients families need to stay healthy. MAP’s other offering, the Produce Box, has the look and feel of an at-home meal kit while being economically priced, enabling families on tighter budgets to meet their nutritional needs. These meal kits are available at different locations throughout the community, ensuring accessibility—which can oftentimes be just as big of an obstacle as finances.