HIP Suspension Regional Meeting

The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) are holding regional meetings for our HIP partners and retailers. In February, you received notification from DTA regarding the upcoming suspension of the Healthy Incentives Program. We know that the HIP suspension impacts retailers in a more nuanced manner and hope these regional meetings can provide you with more information and resources to better equip you at your markets when dealing with customers during the suspension.

Below are the dates, times and locations for each regional meeting. Please RSVP at the links below as soon as possible.

Agenda:

• Welcome and Introductions
• Tools/Resources to communicate the HIP suspension effectively
• Best practices you or your agency have developed to assist you during the HIP suspension
• Material Swap
• Please submit any materials ahead of time to DTA.HIP@state.ma.us using “Regional Meetings Material Swap” in the subject line.
• Updates on Points of Contact for future inquiries
• Q & A

Please Note: As outlined in the communication you received in February, the Departments will provide more information regarding the status of HIP as that information becomes available. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss the HIP suspension. It is unlikely we will have any updates beyond that.

Thank you to our community partners for assistance in planning the meetings: Central Mass Grown, CISA, Berkshire Grown, Northeast Harvest, SEMAP, Cape Cod Buy Fresh Buy Local, and the City of Boston, Office of Food Access.

Dates and Locations: Please RSVP through the links:

• Boston, March 28, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, BCYF Tobin Center – 2nd Floor Conference Room, 1481 Tremont St., 02120 (by the Roxbury Crossing Orange Line stop)
• Holyoke, April 2, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, Holyoke Public Library, 250 Chestnut St., 01040
• Worcester, April 2, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm, Worcester Public Library, Saxe Room, 3 Salem St, 01608
• Lenox, April 3, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Lenox Community Center, 65 Walker St,01240
• Topsfield, April 5, 9:30 am – 11:00 am: Topsfield Fairgrounds Bee Building, 207 Boston St, 01983
• Hyannis, 4/9, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm, Hyannis Golf Course 1800 Iyannough Rd, 02601
• Dartmouth, 4/9, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm: UMass Dartmouth School of Law, Larkin Moot Court Room, 333 Faunce Corner Rd., Dartmouth 02747
• Conference Call: April 11th , 10:00 am – 11:30 am