To take it a step further, you might consider advocating for more sustainable funding models on a county or statewide level. For example, you could work with other community leaders to advocate for changes to state policies to enable reimbursement of food insecurity screenings and referrals within healthcare.
Scale Up Your Initiative If your initiative is ongoing, successful and well-funded, you may consider scaling up your initiative. This could include engaging additional healthcare partners or tapping into alternative funding streams to expand the scope of services. You can expand the number of days a week or month that you offer programming, expand to different park and recreation sites/locations or partner with other park and recreation agencies to integrate your services. Participating in a multi-sector partnership or community coalition is an especially effective approach to reaching a wider audience and identifying opportunities for growth within your community.
20 | 2022 National Recreation and Park Association
“But with [X] program, it’s only for six weeks. They’re dosed with heavy activities and when they’re back in the fall, we don’t have that consistent messaging. Through a grant, we’re able to do this work year-round. [X hospital] has a tested curriculum and we have their [hospital’s] support when training our staff. So, it’s not just a wellness project, it’s a city-wide project. This has helped us get our footing.” – Chicago Parks District, Chicago
