(NAFB) – The Department of Agriculture Tuesday announced a $69 million investment to address the food and nutrition needs of low-income communities.

Twenty awards totaling $61.5 million are for Nutrition Incentive Grants, and 15 awards totaling $7.5 million are for Produce Prescription Grants. The grants are all part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program COVID Relief and Response grants program.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack states the funding “will help households in communities across the country, many hard-hit by the pandemic and the resulting economic challenges, be better equipped to purchase healthy fruits and vegetables.”

USDA says the funding also enhances the resilience of food and healthcare systems impacted by the pandemic. As part of the funding, California’s Nutrition Incentive Program will receive $6.3 million to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants purchase fresh and healthy food. And Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation in Kentucky will receive $619,000 to provide SNAP participants extra incentives to purchase fresh produce.