Report to City Council
ID: 25-0445 Page 1
TO: Mayor and City Council Moreno Valley Community
Foundation (MVCF)
FROM: Brian Mohan, City Manager
AGENDA DATE: October 21, 2025
TITLE: AUTHORIZE THE SUBMITTAL OF GRANT
APPLICATIONS FOR TWO FOOD PROGRAMS TO END
CHILDHOOD HUNGER (REPORT OF: CITY MANAGER)
(DISTRICT: NOT APPLICABLE)
TITLE SUMMARY: Authorize the submittal of grant applications for two food programs to end childhood hunger
DISTRICT: Not Applicable
Recommendation(s)
That the City Council and Moreno Valley Community Foundation:
1. Authorize the City Manager, or their designee, to execute and submit application documents for the Grocery Access Program and No Kid Hungry Program.
2. Authorize the City Manager, or their designee, to execute any grant documents upon successful award of said grants.
3. Authorize the City Manager, or their designee, to execute any partnership agreements upon successful award of said grants.
4. Authorize the Chief Financial Officer, or their designee, to make any necessary budget adjustments as set forth in the Fiscal Impact section of this report upon successful award of said grants.
ID: 25-0445 Page 2
SUMMARY
This report recommends authorizing the submittal of grant application s for the Grocery Access and No Kid Hungry Programs and, upon successful award of said grants, the execution of any grant documents, execution of any partnership agreements , and any necessary budget adjustment as set forth in the Fiscal Impact section of this report.
DISCUSSION
According to the County of Riverside, the agency responsible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), there are roughly seven thousand Moreno Valley residents who participate in the program (2019 data). Additionally, Moreno Valley has been consistently reducing the number of families below the poverty line, which is currently 10.34%.
Pursuant to the City’s Strategic Plan, Momentum MoVal, Section 6. Youth Programs are to “Improve the lives and futures of our City’s youth by expanding healthy lifestyle choices and learning opportunities. Build systems that continually and effectively assess the conditions affecting families in Moreno Valley, and develop context-appropriate strategies responsive to those needs that build on community strengths.” More specifically, Initiative
6.2.3 to “Implement a collaborative partnership with University of California, Riverside’s Food Program at City camps and Time for Tots programs” and Initiative 6.2.4 to “Promote nutrition education to improve students’ health and reduce childhood obesity through family information sharing and after-school recreation health/wellness programs”.
In continuing with this Strategic Priority, staff is recommending the creation of a Grocery Access Program, in partnership with Instacart, to leverage funding to cover grocery delivery fees and service fees through the Instacart platform at com petitive rates for twelve months to support the local community as defined above. Access to online grocery and delivery can be a lifeline for families living on lower incomes, helping them save time, overcome transportation and mobility barriers, overcome the associated stigma of using benefits like SNAP in-store, assist with budgeting, and even encourage healthier choices.
Instacart is the largest grocery technology company in No rth America and reaches 98% of US households, including 98% of SNAP households and 95% of US Households in food deserts. The proposed Grocery Access Program details:
Budget: $50,000.00
Estimated participants: 273
Direct cost per participant is $159.
In-kind Cost: Add in a ~15% for admin cost (eligibility check, application assistance, etc.) per participant is $23.85
Estimated cost $182.85 per participant
The USDA’s Food Access Research Atlas has estimated to have a low-income and low-access population of 3,400. Of the total population that is classified as low access, the low-income population makes up approximately 43% of the total.
Additionally, staff is recommending the creation of a No Kid Hungry Program, in
ID: 25-0445 Page 3
partnership with Moreno Valley Unified School District and Val Verde Unified School District, based on the program details below:
Budget: $25,000 total; breakdown below are estimates from the staff's initial meeting
Staffing $3,600 (VVUSD only)
o Support and further engage with students.
Program outreach $7,400 (VVUSD and MVUSD)
o Banners, canopies, flyers, etc. for each site.
Food costs $9,000 (MVUSD only)
o Purchase fresh fruits from local vendors (Old Orange Grove) to provide additional nutrient -rich food for children. This supports an existing partnership with RUHS for nutritional education initiatives. o Farmer’s market through an existing MVUSD partnership with Sunrise Produce that was previously successful. This expands community access and knowledge of healthy options.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve and authorize the recommended actions as presented in this staff report.
Staff recommends this alternative.
2. Do not approve and authorize the recommended actions as presented in this staff report. Staff does not recommend this alternative.
FISCAL IMPACT
Upon successful award of said grants, the budget adjustments below are authorized by Council. Funding of both programs will be budgeted in the Moreno Valley Community Foundation Fund 4016.
Description Fund GL Account No. Type
(Rev/Exp)
FY 25/26
Budget
Proposed
Adjustments
FY 25/26
Amended Budget
Grant Award Other
Grants
2300-30-92-7xxxx-4xxxxx Rev $0 $75,000 $75,000
Grant Award Other
Grants
2300-30-92-7xxxx-6xxxxx Exp $0 $75,000 $75,000
Description Fund GL Account No. Type
(Rev/Exp)
FY 26/27
Budget
Proposed
Adjustments
FY 26/27
Amended Budget
Grant Award MV
Foundation
4016-16-18-16311-6xxxxx Exp $0 $75,000 $75,000
NOTIFICATION
Publication of the Agenda.
PREPARATION OF STAFF REPORT
Prepared By: Department Head Approval:
ID: 25-0445 Page 4
Brian Mohan Brian Mohan
City Manager City Manager
CITY COUNCIL GOALS
Community Image, Neighborhood Pride and Cleanliness: Promote a sense of community pride and foster an excellent image about our City by developing and executing programs which will result in quality development, enhanced neighborhood preservation efforts, including home rehabilitation and neighborhood restoration.
Positive Environment: Create a positive environment for the development of Moreno Valley's future.
CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
1. Economic Development
2. Public Safety
3. Library
4. Infrastructure
5. Beautification, Community Engagement, and Quality of Life
6. Youth Programs
Objective 6.2: Improve health, wellness and fitness for Moreno Valley youth through recreation and sports programs.
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Report Approval Details
Document Title: STAFFREPORT_CM_FOOD_PROGRAM_GRANT.docx
Attachments:
Final Approval
Date:
Oct 16, 2025
This report and all of its attachments were approved and signed as outlined below:
Patty Rodriguez
Natalia Lopez
No Signature - Task assigned to Dena Heald was completed by workflow administrator Patty Rodriguez
Dena Heald
Launa Jimenez
Patty Rodriguez