FRESH New London will be working with Wholesome Wave, a national nonprofit that supports small and mid-sized farms and is the recipient of a $568,150 U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Commerce grant to support the establishment of local "healthy food hubs," Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, announced Thursday.

Under Wholesome Wave's Healthy Food Commerce Initiative, the funding will help build capacity, increase access to financing and provide business assistance and planning to local organizations. FRESH New London will provide a source to connect locally grown and locally processed food from rural areas with urban communities.

"This targeted, competitively-secured investment will put fresh, locally-grown foods onto more tables, and will provide a boost to eastern Connecticut farmers," Courtney said in a news release. "By increasing access to financing and business assistance, this funding will help farmers grow their small businesses, secure their futures, and, in the long run, protect jobs here at home."

"This innovative, joint USDA/EDA funding to Wholesome Wave is especially helpful to New England farmers and food producers," Gus Schumacher, executive vice president of Wholesome Wave, said. "The demand for regional and local foods by schools, hospitals and colleges is growing exponentially. New food hubs are starting or expanding to meet this demand. Such hubs will generate additional revenue to the region's farmers and food producers through aggregating their products. This federal funding couldn't be more timely."