Brightwood Development Corporation
Brightwood Development Corporation (BDC) is using HFFI financing to support the Western Puerto Rico Food and Agro-Processing Center, a food processing and distribution facility in western Puerto Rico’s Porta del Sol region. The Center will house five tenants in the food processing and distribution segments, creating a minimum of 40 new jobs, of which 30 will be for low-income individuals. The Food and Agro-Processing Center supports local producers of healthy and organic vegetable products for distribution in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Hispanic market. BDC is using additional HFFI financing to improve its warehouse capacity, expedite distribution, providing technical assistance, expand the Mayaguez Seashore Farmers’ Market, and create a Harvesting Master Plan. These projects will create an additional 40 full-time jobs for low-income residents.
Source of money: HFFI CED Program
Note: Brightwood Development Corporation is a CDC headquartered in Massachusetts, but its HFFI project is in Puerto Rico.
State & Local Policy Efforts
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We encourage you to check out the following resources to learn more about or get involved with food access issues in your state:
- Research Your Community: Plug in your city, ZIP code, or state into this mapping tool to better understand key health, demographic, food access, and healthy retail characteristics in your community.
- Tap Into Your Local Food System: Read how you can get involved, including connecting with your local food policy council.
For a full understanding of Healthy Food Financing Initiatives from advocacy to implementation, see The Food Trust’s Healthy Food Financing Handbook.