Capital Impact Partners and the Nourish DC Collaborative Award $400k to BIPOC-Owned DC Food Businesses to Grow an Equitable Food System in Washington, DC
Nine Awardees are Locally Owned Food Businesses in Wards 5, 7, and 8
Share this:
Capital Impact Partners and the Nourish DC Collaborative Award $400k to BIPOC-Owned DC Food Businesses to Grow an Equitable Food System in Washington, DC
Nine Awardees are Locally Owned Food Businesses in Wards 5, 7, and 8
PR Newswire
ARLINGTON, Va., March 9, 2022
ARLINGTON, Va., March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- While Washington, DC has a vibrant food and restaurant community, food businesses owned by people of color still struggle to participate due to the lack of opportunities to access capital. In an effort to build a more equitable food ecosystem, the Nourish DC Collaborative – in partnership with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser – announced its first round of grants – totaling $400,000 – to support locally owned food businesses, especially in neighborhoods underserved by grocery stores and other food businesses. The nine awardees are local BIPOC-owned food businesses in Wards 5, 7, and 8 that are providing healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food for DC residents. Seven of the awardees are women-owned businesses.
The grant awardees include:
- A1 Grocery Store;
- Circle 7 Food and Grocery Market
- Mechos Dominican Kitchen;
- Pinke's Eats;
- Plum Good;
- Rich Capital Concepts (VeggieDC Farmers Market);
- Three Part Harmony Farm;
- Turning Natural Juice Bar; and
- Wellfound Foods
The Nourish DC Collaborative – created with the support of a $1 million grant from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) – is intended to help grow a robust and equitable ecosystem of locally-owned food businesses across the District. The goal is to foster an inclusive food system that provides access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food, particularly in communities impacted by historic disinvestment and structural racism, which have long been underserved by grocery and other food amenities. Similarly, the program strives to promote economic opportunity, enabling locals to establish or grow their food-based businesses and create jobs for others in the community. This investment continues Mayor Bowser's effort to improve food access, create new employment opportunities, and stimulate economic development in the District.
"Capital Impact Partners is thrilled to partner with the District of Columbia to provide these grants to locally owned food businesses that are working in our underserved communities," said Ellis Carr, president and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance. "This is just the first step in what we hope will be a long partnership providing much-needed funding to support an equitable food system in Washington, DC."
The awardees represent a wide array of food sectors and include a grocery store, a caterer, a food truck, a corner store, a restaurant, a farmers market, and a food processor.
Awards ranged from $40,000 to 50,000 per business. Applicants were required to have a physical location in DC, with preference given to businesses increasing access to healthy food and creating jobs in priority Wards 5, 7, and 8.
The grants were flexible in nature, allowing for the funds to be leveraged for a range of activities, including new product development, marketing, technology, real estate acquisition, construction, and tenant improvements.
"Investing in our local businesses is one of the strongest ways we can impact our communities," said Mayor Muriel Bowser. "We're proud to support these nine food businesses in the District, and are excited to continue working with Capital Impact Partners and the Collaborative partners to build a more inclusive food system."
More than 180 businesses applied for the first round of Nourish DC catalytic grants, and nine awardees were selected through a review process involving all of the Nourish DC Collaborative lending and technical assistance partners.
In addition to these nine grant awardees, Nourish DC has supported the disbursement of six loans and 88 businesses have received 1:1 or cohort-based technical assistance. For example, the Benning Market project is receiving a $15 million loan package from multiple lenders including Capital Impact Partners, with Nourish DC providing the gap financing to establish Market 7 as the project's anchor tenant. Benning Market is a 24,000-square-foot neighborhood-serving commercial development project focused on food, health and entrepreneurship located in Ward 7. Market 7 will create an open concept retail community market space where local entrepreneurs can lease storefronts and kiosk spaces. Market 7 has been in business for four years as a pop-up food and retail market working with 60 small businesses. The permanent marketplace will feature local, Black-owned businesses, hire about 50 employees primarily from the neighborhood, and provide healthy food options and retail opportunities in Ward 7.
The Nourish DC Collaborative partners include Capital Impact Partners (CIP), lender and Collaborative administrator; Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF), lender and technical assistance provider; Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), lender and technical assistance provider; Dreaming Out Loud, technical assistance provider; and EatsPlace, lender and technical assistance provider. Together, the Collaborative provides flexible loans, technical assistance and catalytic grants to emerging and existing locally owned food businesses.
Nourish DC Grantees Reflect on their Awards
"The Nourish DC catalytic grant is the first grant of its kind that I have seen offered in DC during the 10 years that I have owned a vegetable farm in this city," said Nourish DC awardee Gail Taylor from Three Part Harmony Farm. "Whoever wrote the grant description and eligibility information really took the time to understand how to make it possible for a production farm to take advantage of the opportunity."
"The Nourish DC grant comes at a crucial moment where small businesses are struggling to deal with major price hikes, employee retention, and surging utility prices," said Nourish DC awardee Raymond Compres from Mechos Dominican Kitchen. "These funds will help us to continue to keep our doors open by giving us the ability to buy provisions and to help keep our employees on payroll instead of sending them home or slashing their hours."
Awardee Pinkey Reddick from Pinke's Eats said, "the Nourish DC Catalytic Grant is important for our business because it will allow us to scale at a faster pace, provide efficiency in daily operations, and make funds available to us to purchase uniform packaging. The Nourish DC Catalytic Grant supports our business by providing financial resources to purchase equipment, invest in marketing, and invest in staff, which will create 8-10 full-time and 15-20 part-time positions by 2023."
Overview of Round 1 Nourish DC Collaborative Grant Awardees:
Ayub, Inc. A1 Grocery Store ($50,000) is a full-service grocery store in Ward 7 that has been in business for more than 30 years and was purchased by its current owner in 2018. Grant funding will be used to upgrade the facility to improve customer experience and to purchase a new freezer, point of sale system, and other equipment, which will allow the store to improve sales and continue to expand healthy food inventory.
Circle 7 Food and Grocery Market ($50,000) is the only store selling a full-line of healthy food including fresh fruits and vegetables 24 hours a day in Ward 5. It has partnered with DC Central Kitchen and DC WIC to ensure it sells healthy food in the neighborhood and can accept WIC and SNAP. Grant funding will be used to purchase food refrigeration equipment to continue to expand fresh fruit and vegetable offerings, as well as to update store signage to promote the store's healthy food offerings.
Mechos Dominican Kitchen at Dakota Crossing LLC ($10,000) is a caterer and fast casual restaurant in Ward 5, which opened in 2019 and serves traditional food from the Dominican Republic. Mechos also caters meals for local schools, churches, and institutions. Grant funding will be used to support the delivery of wholesome, catered meals to churches, food banks, and other food outreach programs.
Pinke's Eats ($50,000) is a caterer and mobile food truck in Ward 7 committed to providing healthy food options to neighborhood residents, schools, churches, private sector businesses, institutions, and emergency food providers. Grant funding will be used to finance equipment, marketing support, an online ordering platform, and start-up food truck staffing.
Plum Good LLC ($50,000) is based in Ward 8 and sells packaged culinary and wellness teas, herbs, spices, jams, sauces, popcorn, and gourmet snacks to consumers and businesses locally and online. It also provides health and nutrition certified training services. Plum Good will share a new commercial kitchen to begin packaging products, and the Grant funding will be used to purchase processing equipment and the technical assistance to successfully use the equipment.
Rich Capital Concepts (VeggieDC Farmers Market) ($50,000) is a 501(c)(3) in Ward 5 specializing in youth development, social service, and green projects. It has a community farmers' market business called VeggieDC Farmers Market providing fresh fruits and vegetables to neighborhoods often lacking healthy food options. Grant funding will support the COVID-19 pivot from a farmers' market to a mobile delivery service which has increased healthy food access in Wards 7 and 8. The funding will be used to finance a delivery van, additional inventory, refrigerators, food processing tables, and additional staff.
Three Part Harmony Farm LLC ($50,000) was established in Ward 5 in 2012 and is the largest urban farm in the District, primarily growing vegetables sold to local families. In 2021, Three Part Harmony Farm sold produce to 100 families within a few miles of the farm through community-supported agriculture (CSA) sales. The farm also grows and sells vegetable and flower seedlings. Grant funding will be used to purchase two hoop houses to extend the growing season, a walk-in cooler, and additional staff to support increased harvests.
Turning Natural Juice Bar ($50,000) has served healthy food options in Ward 8 since 2015. The food offerings include cold-pressed fruit/vegetable juice and smoothies as well as vegan and vegetarian food. Grant funding will be used to expand its mobile app, delivery options, and the marketing team, and to purchase menu expansion inventory and equipment.
Wellfound Foods ($40,000) makes grab-and-go prepared food for health-conscious people. The food is delivered via wholesale distribution to retailers and direct-to-consumer distribution through Wellfound's network of 24-hour, tech-enabled, unattended, SmartMarkets kiosks located in a 35-mile radius of the commissary kitchen in Ward 5. Grant funding will be used to build out the in-house, cold-chain distribution capabilities by purchasing a refrigerated van and adding staff so the company is not as reliant on a third-party distributor. The grant will also allow a pilot program with the Capital Area Food Bank to bring SmartMarkets to Wards 5, 7, and 8 in the next two years.
ABOUT CAPITAL IMPACT PARTNERS
Through capital and commitment, Capital Impact Partners helps people build communities of opportunity that break barriers to success. Through mission-driven financing, social innovation programs, capacity building, and impact investing, we work to champion key issues of equity and social and economic justice. Our commitment to community focuses on ensuring that individuals have access to quality health care and education, healthy foods, affordable housing, cooperative development, and the ability to age with dignity.
A nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, Capital Impact has disbursed more than $2.5 billion since 1982. Our leadership in delivering financial and social impact has resulted in Capital Impact being rated by S&P Global and recognized by Aeris for our performance. Headquartered in Arlington, VA, Capital Impact Partners operates nationally, with local offices in Austin, TX; Detroit, MI; New York, NY; and Oakland, CA. Learn more at www.capitalimpact.org.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/capital-impact-partners-and-the-nourish-dc-collaborative-award-400k-to-bipoc-owned-dc-food-businesses-to-grow-an-equitable-food-system-in-washington-dc-301498632.html
SOURCE Capital Impact Partners
International
Illegal Immigrants Leave US Hospitals With Billions In Unpaid Bills
Illegal Immigrants Leave US Hospitals With Billions In Unpaid Bills
By Autumn Spredemann of The Epoch Times
Tens of thousands of illegal…
Share this:
By Autumn Spredemann of The Epoch Times
Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants are flooding into U.S. hospitals for treatment and leaving billions in uncompensated health care costs in their wake.
The House Committee on Homeland Security recently released a report illustrating that from the estimated $451 billion in annual costs stemming from the U.S. border crisis, a significant portion is going to health care for illegal immigrants.
With the majority of the illegal immigrant population lacking any kind of medical insurance, hospitals and government welfare programs such as Medicaid are feeling the weight of these unanticipated costs.
Apprehensions of illegal immigrants at the U.S. border have jumped 48 percent since the record in fiscal year 2021 and nearly tripled since fiscal year 2019, according to Customs and Border Protection data.
Last year broke a new record high for illegal border crossings, surpassing more than 3.2 million apprehensions.
And with that sea of humanity comes the need for health care and, in most cases, the inability to pay for it.
In January, CEO of Denver Health Donna Lynne told reporters that 8,000 illegal immigrants made roughly 20,000 visits to the city’s health system in 2023.
The total bill for uncompensated care costs last year to the system totaled $140 million, said Dane Roper, public information officer for Denver Health. More than $10 million of it was attributed to “care for new immigrants,” he told The Epoch Times.
Though the amount of debt assigned to illegal immigrants is a fraction of the total, uncompensated care costs in the Denver Health system have risen dramatically over the past few years.
The total uncompensated costs in 2020 came to $60 million, Mr. Roper said. In 2022, the number doubled, hitting $120 million.
He also said their city hospitals are treating issues such as “respiratory illnesses, GI [gastro-intenstinal] illnesses, dental disease, and some common chronic illnesses such as asthma and diabetes.”
“The perspective we’ve been trying to emphasize all along is that providing healthcare services for an influx of new immigrants who are unable to pay for their care is adding additional strain to an already significant uncompensated care burden,” Mr. Roper said.
He added this is why a local, state, and federal response to the needs of the new illegal immigrant population is “so important.”
Colorado is far from the only state struggling with a trail of unpaid hospital bills.
Dr. Robert Trenschel, CEO of the Yuma Regional Medical Center situated on the Arizona–Mexico border, said on average, illegal immigrants cost up to three times more in human resources to resolve their cases and provide a safe discharge.
“Some [illegal] migrants come with minor ailments, but many of them come in with significant disease,” Dr. Trenschel said during a congressional hearing last year.
“We’ve had migrant patients on dialysis, cardiac catheterization, and in need of heart surgery. Many are very sick.”
He said many illegal immigrants who enter the country and need medical assistance end up staying in the ICU ward for 60 days or more.
A large portion of the patients are pregnant women who’ve had little to no prenatal treatment. This has resulted in an increase in babies being born that require neonatal care for 30 days or longer.
Dr. Trenschel told The Epoch Times last year that illegal immigrants were overrunning healthcare services in his town, leaving the hospital with $26 million in unpaid medical bills in just 12 months.
ER Duty to Care
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1986 requires that public hospitals participating in Medicare “must medically screen all persons seeking emergency care … regardless of payment method or insurance status.”
The numbers are difficult to gauge as the policy position of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is that it “will not require hospital staff to ask patients directly about their citizenship or immigration status.”
In southern California, again close to the border with Mexico, some hospitals are struggling with an influx of illegal immigrants.
American patients are enduring longer wait times for doctor appointments due to a nursing shortage in the state, two health care professionals told The Epoch Times in January.
A health care worker at a hospital in Southern California, who asked not to be named for fear of losing her job, told The Epoch Times that “the entire health care system is just being bombarded” by a steady stream of illegal immigrants.
“Our healthcare system is so overwhelmed, and then add on top of that tuberculosis, COVID-19, and other diseases from all over the world,” she said.
A newly-enacted law in California provides free healthcare for all illegal immigrants residing in the state. The law could cost taxpayers between $3 billion and $6 billion per year, according to recent estimates by state and federal lawmakers.
In New York, where the illegal immigration crisis has manifested most notably beyond the southern border, city and state officials have long been accommodating of illegal immigrants’ healthcare costs.
Since June 2014, when then-mayor Bill de Blasio set up The Task Force on Immigrant Health Care Access, New York City has worked to expand avenues for illegal immigrants to get free health care.
“New York City has a moral duty to ensure that all its residents have meaningful access to needed health care, regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay,” Mr. de Blasio stated in a 2015 report.
The report notes that in 2013, nearly 64 percent of illegal immigrants were uninsured. Since then, tens of thousands of illegal immigrants have settled in the city.
“The uninsured rate for undocumented immigrants is more than three times that of other noncitizens in New York City (20 percent) and more than six times greater than the uninsured rate for the rest of the city (10 percent),” the report states.
The report states that because healthcare providers don’t ask patients about documentation status, the task force lacks “data specific to undocumented patients.”
Some health care providers say a big part of the issue is that without a clear path to insurance or payment for non-emergency services, illegal immigrants are going to the hospital due to a lack of options.
“It’s insane, and it has been for years at this point,” Dana, a Texas emergency room nurse who asked to have her full name omitted, told The Epoch Times.
Working for a major hospital system in the greater Houston area, Dana has seen “a zillion” migrants pass through under her watch with “no end in sight.” She said many who are illegal immigrants arrive with treatable illnesses that require simple antibiotics. “Not a lot of GPs [general practitioners] will see you if you can’t pay and don’t have insurance.”
She said the “undocumented crowd” tends to arrive with a lot of the same conditions. Many find their way to Houston not long after crossing the southern border. Some of the common health issues Dana encounters include dehydration, unhealed fractures, respiratory illnesses, stomach ailments, and pregnancy-related concerns.
“This isn’t a new problem, it’s just worse now,” Dana said.
Medicaid Factor
One of the main government healthcare resources illegal immigrants use is Medicaid.
All those who don’t qualify for regular Medicaid are eligible for Emergency Medicaid, regardless of immigration status. By doing this, the program helps pay for the cost of uncompensated care bills at qualifying hospitals.
However, some loopholes allow access to the regular Medicaid benefits. “Qualified noncitizens” who haven’t been granted legal status within five years still qualify if they’re listed as a refugee, an asylum seeker, or a Cuban or Haitian national.
Yet the lion’s share of Medicaid usage by illegal immigrants still comes through state-level benefits and emergency medical treatment.
A Congressional report highlighted data from the CMS, which showed total Medicaid costs for “emergency services for undocumented aliens” in fiscal year 2021 surpassed $7 billion, and totaled more than $5 billion in fiscal 2022.
Both years represent a significant spike from the $3 billion in fiscal 2020.
An employee working with Medicaid who asked to be referred to only as Jennifer out of concern for her job, told The Epoch Times that at a state level, it’s easy for an illegal immigrant to access the program benefits.
Jennifer said that when exceptions are sent from states to CMS for approval, “denial is actually super rare. It’s usually always approved.”
She also said it comes as no surprise that many of the states with the highest amount of Medicaid spending are sanctuary states, which tend to have policies and laws that shield illegal immigrants from federal immigration authorities.
Moreover, Jennifer said there are ways for states to get around CMS guidelines. “It’s not easy, but it can and has been done.”
The first generation of illegal immigrants who arrive to the United States tend to be healthy enough to pass any pre-screenings, but Jennifer has observed that the subsequent generations tend to be sicker and require more access to care. If a family is illegally present, they tend to use Emergency Medicaid or nothing at all.
The Epoch Times asked Medicaid Services to provide the most recent data for the total uncompensated care that hospitals have reported. The agency didn’t respond.
Continue reading over at The Epoch Times
Uncategorized
Fast-food chain closes restaurants after Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Several major fast-food chains recently have struggled to keep restaurants open.
Share this:
Competition in the fast-food space has been brutal as operators deal with inflation, consumers who are worried about the economy and their jobs and, in recent months, the falling cost of eating at home.
Add in that many fast-food chains took on more debt during the covid pandemic and that labor costs are rising, and you have a perfect storm of problems.
It's a situation where Restaurant Brands International (QSR) has suffered as much as any company.
Related: Wendy's menu drops a fan favorite item, adds something new
Three major Burger King franchise operators filed for bankruptcy in 2023, and the chain saw hundreds of stores close. It also saw multiple Popeyes franchisees move into bankruptcy, with dozens of locations closing.
RBI also stepped in and purchased one of its key franchisees.
"Carrols is the largest Burger King franchisee in the United States today, operating 1,022 Burger King restaurants in 23 states that generated approximately $1.8 billion of system sales during the 12 months ended Sept. 30, 2023," RBI said in a news release. Carrols also owns and operates 60 Popeyes restaurants in six states."
The multichain company made the move after two of its large franchisees, Premier Kings and Meridian, saw multiple locations not purchased when they reached auction after Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings. In that case, RBI bought select locations but allowed others to close.
Image source: Chen Jianli/Xinhua via Getty
Another fast-food chain faces bankruptcy problems
Bojangles may not be as big a name as Burger King or Popeye's, but it's a popular chain with more than 800 restaurants in eight states.
"Bojangles is a Carolina-born restaurant chain specializing in craveable Southern chicken, biscuits and tea made fresh daily from real recipes, and with a friendly smile," the chain says on its website. "Founded in 1977 as a single location in Charlotte, our beloved brand continues to grow nationwide."
Like RBI, Bojangles uses a franchise model, which makes it dependent on the financial health of its operators. The company ultimately saw all its Maryland locations close due to the financial situation of one of its franchisees.
Unlike. RBI, Bojangles is not public — it was taken private by Durational Capital Management LP and Jordan Co. in 2018 — which means the company does not disclose its financial information to the public.
That makes it hard to know whether overall softness for the brand contributed to the chain seeing its five Maryland locations after a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
Bojangles has a messy bankruptcy situation
Even though the locations still appear on the Bojangles website, they have been shuttered since late 2023. The locations were operated by Salim Kakakhail and Yavir Akbar Durranni. The partners operated under a variety of LLCs, including ABS Network, according to local news channel WUSA9.
The station reported that the owners face a state investigation over complaints of wage theft and fraudulent W2s. In November Durranni and ABS Network filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey, WUSA9 reported.
"Not only do former employees say these men owe them money, WUSA9 learned the former owners owe the state, too, and have over $69,000 in back property taxes."
Former employees also say that the restaurant would regularly purchase fried chicken from Popeyes and Safeway when it ran out in their stores, the station reported.
Bojangles sent the station a comment on the situation.
"The franchisee is no longer in the Bojangles system," the company said. "However, it is important to note in your coverage that franchisees are independent business owners who are licensed to operate a brand but have autonomy over many aspects of their business, including hiring employees and payroll responsibilities."
Kakakhail and Durranni did not respond to multiple requests for comment from WUSA9.
bankruptcy pandemicUncategorized
Industrial Production Increased 0.1% in February
From the Fed: Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization
Industrial production edged up 0.1 percent in February after declining 0.5 percent in January. In February, the output of manufacturing rose 0.8 percent and the index for mining climbed 2.2 p…
Share this:
Industrial production edged up 0.1 percent in February after declining 0.5 percent in January. In February, the output of manufacturing rose 0.8 percent and the index for mining climbed 2.2 percent. Both gains partly reflected recoveries from weather-related declines in January. The index for utilities fell 7.5 percent in February because of warmer-than-typical temperatures. At 102.3 percent of its 2017 average, total industrial production in February was 0.2 percent below its year-earlier level. Capacity utilization for the industrial sector remained at 78.3 percent in February, a rate that is 1.3 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2023) average.Click on graph for larger image.
emphasis added
This graph shows Capacity Utilization. This series is up from the record low set in April 2020, and above the level in February 2020 (pre-pandemic).
Capacity utilization at 78.3% is 1.3% below the average from 1972 to 2022. This was below consensus expectations.
Note: y-axis doesn't start at zero to better show the change.
The second graph shows industrial production since 1967.Industrial production increased to 102.3. This is above the pre-pandemic level.
Industrial production was above consensus expectations.
Key shipping company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Net Zero, The Digital Panopticon, & The Future Of Food
Pharma industry reputation remains steady at a ‘new normal’ after Covid, Harris Poll finds
These Cities Have The Highest (And Lowest) Share Of Unaffordable Neighborhoods In 2024
Problems After COVID-19 Vaccination More Prevalent Among Naturally Immune: Study
For-profit nursing homes are cutting corners on safety and draining resources with financial shenanigans − especially at midsize chains that dodge public scrutiny
Part 1: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-March 2024
‘Excess Mortality Skyrocketed’: Tucker Carlson and Dr. Pierre Kory Unpack ‘Criminal’ COVID Response
Tight inventory and frustrated buyers challenge agents in Virginia
The Question You Should Ask Whenever You’re Wrong
-
Uncategorized3 weeks agoAll Of The Elements Are In Place For An Economic Crisis Of Staggering Proportions
-
International1 week agoEyePoint poaches medical chief from Apellis; Sandoz CFO, longtime BioNTech exec to retire
-
Uncategorized4 weeks agoCalifornia Counties Could Be Forced To Pay $300 Million To Cover COVID-Era Program
-
Uncategorized3 weeks agoApparel Retailer Express Moving Toward Bankruptcy
-
Uncategorized4 weeks agoIndustrial Production Decreased 0.1% in January
-
International1 week agoWalmart launches clever answer to Target’s new membership program
-
Spread & Containment2 days agoIFM’s Hat Trick and Reflections On Option-To-Buy M&A
-
Uncategorized4 weeks agoRFK Jr: The Wuhan Cover-Up & The Rise Of The Biowarfare-Industrial Complex