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Small Business & Food Enrollment Campaign For the City of Chelsea, MA Contract # 2024-400

Whole Foods Controversy

Proposals must be sealed and clearly marked “Small Business & Food Enrollment Campaign” and submitted to the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer no later than 11:00AM on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Web link: file:///C:/Users/cbettencourt/Downloads/RFP%202024-399%20Small%20Business%20&%20Food%20Enrollment%20Campaign.pdf

The City of Chelsea, Massachusetts, through its Department of Housing and Community

Development (the “Department”), is seeking proposals from qualified contractors to design and

implement an enrollment campaign to increase participation in federal food assistance

programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), through partnership

with Chelsea small businesses.

BACKGROUND

The Chelsea Hunger Network and the Chelsea Eats 2021 Recipient Survey estimated that over

60% of Chelsea residents often do not have consistent access to healthy, nutritious, and

culturally appropriate foods. Food insecurity is linked to health outcomes like obesity and

diabetes that affect a disproportionate number of Chelsea residents. Mass General’s Community

Health Needs Assessment has included food insecurity as a significant concern for the health of

residents.

Federal food assistance programs can increase food security, economic stability, and physical

and mental health for individuals and families who participate, but these programs are

underutilized in Chelsea. A variety of factors contribute to underutilization, including fear and

uncertainty around SNAP effects on immigration processes, complicated eligibility

requirements, unfamiliarity with or misconceptions about the program, misinformation

concerning public charge, and social stigma around receiving food assistance.

As part of a multidimensional strategy to improve food security and health outcomes, the City is

supporting an enrollment campaign to increase awareness of federal food assistance programs,

including SNAP, and to address common misconceptions and barriers to participation in these

programs to ultimately increase enrollment in these programs for Chelsea residents.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

SNAP is a federally funded food assistance program for individuals and households with low

income, individuals over 60 years of age, and individuals with a disability. SNAP is available for

all U.S. citizens who meet the eligibility criteria and for individuals who are not citizens who

meet certain additional requirements. In many cases, one member of a household with

qualifying legal status can receive benefits that extend to the household. In 2021, a statewide

assessment estimated that 54% of all eligible households in Chelsea were not receiving SNAP

benefits.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The selected contractor will be required to work closely with the Department of Housing and

Community Development to design and implement a communications, outreach, and

enrollment campaign for SNAP and WIC. The contractor selected under this RFP will be

expected to provide the following services:

1. Design a communications and outreach campaign that includes community education,

engagement, and communications strategies to increase enrollment in federal food

assistance programs.

2. Create multilingual and culturally appropriate messaging with consideration for the

uncertainty, fear, public charge and immigration considerations, complexity, and social

stigma around participating in federal food assistance programs. All messaging should be

translated into five commonly spoken languages in Chelsea: Spanish, English, Portuguese,

Arabic, and Haitian Creole.

3. Produce multilingual communication media and outreach materials, including, but not

limited to, high quality video production, social media videos, targeted social media

marketing, flyers, posters, brochures, information session materials, talking points, and

conventional media.

4. Under the direction of and in coordination with the Department, undertake direct

outreach, including, but not limited to, neighborhood canvassing, the hosting of

community events, tabling at planned community events, phone calls, performance of

outgoing calls, responses to incoming calls, and coordination of a variety of

communication methods.

5. Use communication and media strategies to promote messaging to Chelsea residents,

including digital and in-person strategies, with a focus on immigrants including recent

immigrant families with children born in the U.S.

6. In partnership with the Department of Housing and Community Development, design a

user-centered process for Chelsea residents to easily understand and access federal food

assistance programs, employing technology to log, track, and manage the intake process.

7. In partnership with community organizations and local enrollment partners, plan and

publicize public informational and enrollment sessions to offer assistance with eligibility

questions and enrollment.

8. Coordinate with other public benefits providers as needed to attain benefits for residents

to boost economic sustainability. Examples may include, but not be limited to,

MassHealth, LIHEAP, rental assistance, subsidized cell phone services, internet service.

9. Coordinate with community organizations, hospitals and health centers, Chelsea public

schools, and EBT retailers in Chelsea to share messaging and increase awareness of SNAP

and HIP benefits.

10. Manage all invoicing and payments, track all expenses, and adjust accordingly to ensure

budget compliance. Financial information shall be furnished to the City on a quarterly

basis, as part of the required quarterly reports.

11. Develop and implement a shop-local campaign to steer federal assistance for

expenditures to local, independently owned small businesses, in coordination with the

Department, Chamber of Commerce, small business owners, and stakeholders.

12. Oversee the provision of navigational assistance to small businesses to usher small

businesses through the necessary processes to secure approval to begin accepting federal

and state benefits. Offer technical assistance to vendors, in coordination with the City’s

Small Business Development Specialist, as it relates to federal food assistance benefits,

such as technical assistance pertaining to the adoption of technology platforms necessary

to accept food assistance benefits, organizing and marketing low-cost, healthy food

products, and/or interfacing with public agencies to reconcile issues.

BENCHMARKS AND REPORTING

Funding awarded by the City of Chelsea is subject to reporting requirements. Generally,

providers should track the number of individuals reached through the campaign, demographic

and socioeconomic characteristics, and quantitative information of participants’ experiences.

Quarterly reports including narratives and beneficiary data is due on the 10th day following the

close of the quarter. Narrative templates will be provided and include prompting questions,

generating insights such as activities conducted, and programmatic strengths, weaknesses, and

success stories. Beneficiary data includes income, race, ethnicity, and disability status.

Monthly updates with City staff via ongoing scheduled meetings will also be a reporting

element. Meetings will include participation from the City’s Project Manager and a program

manager representative. Updates will be narrative and provide an opportunity to brainstorm

community resources and supports.

Data tracking and reporting may include but is not limited to:

media shares for campaign-related messaging

o (1) interested in applying for federal food assistance,

o (2) successfully enrolled in federal food assistance program(s), and

o (3) interested but not eligible for enrollment in federal food assistance programs

BUDGET

The Department possesses a maximum budget of $100,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act

(ARPA) for the outreach and enrollment campaign. The City will select one (1) contractor for a 12

month contract term, with the option to extend for an additional 12 months.

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