Why A Philadelphia Grocery Chain Is Thriving In Food Deserts

Community leaders are working together to address the issue of food insecurity in Mansfield, caused not just by lack of access to grocery stores and fresh food sources, but also often by unemployment, high housing costs, low wages, poverty, and health care costs. The North End Local Foods Initiative is installing food gardens in these communities, creating access to fresh produce, to educational opportunities, recreational activity and more.

New Jersey looks for those solutions being implemented successfully in other regions around the country to fight hunger in food deserts and poor neighborhoods, assessing what can be replicated in their local communities to address these issues.

Wholesome Wave, a nonprofit organization that advocates for access to better food in low-income neighborhoods runs a program based on a simple idea to deal with a complex problem: instead of drugs or admonishments to lose weight, doctors provide families with a “prescription” to eat fruits and vegetables, as well as other tools to improve their health.

Asian cities are over-crowded and many residences are kitchenless, causing families with children to consume unhealthy food from the street vendors. Mercy Corps, a non-profit organization that advocates nutrition, has initiated some for-profit businesses in Jakarta that provide healthy food to underserved neighborhoods. The food carts are marketed at serving poor children a healthy meal.

The Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture has helped the town of Ajo in Arizona distribute affordable and nutrient-dense food to the community after the coronavirus pandemic created a significant financial strain on many families. Additional support has come from the town's participation in the Environmental Protection Agency's program Local Food, Local Places which "provides technical support and expertise to help towns leverage food systems to boost economic development."

In a rural town in Wisconsin, a pilot project that hinges on micro-agriculture is bringing fresh produce to residents who do not have easy access to healthy, affordable food. The project, which has now partnered with food banks and Feed America and expanded to 27 states, provides a "farm in a box" to community members who are interested in pursuing small-scale local farming.

In an attempt to offer healthier meals and reduce stigma around hospital food, hospitals are reinventing their dining services by hiring professional chefs, nutritionists, and dieticians. At the UC Davis Medical Center, this type of approach has already shown success with a growth in consumers, including an influx of locals from the community even coming to eat at the hospital cafe.

Food insecurity, obesity, and poor nutrition are all currently major challenges facing many US communities, particularly in the Midwest. SNAP-Ed is helping to tackle all of those issues through a program that teaches food stamp recipients handy tips such as better shopping habits, how to prepare tasty but healthy meals, and ways to stay physically fit.

While the USPS has seen a drastic decline in revenues and capacity in recent years due to growing competition from the private sector and social changes, First Class Meal is reimagining the role that this institution has to play: improving national access to healthy food. Using the existing USPS app to connect organizations and food banks that struggle to distribute donations, postal drivers out on their normal routes would pick up donations, deliver to food banks or pantries, and store food in post offices with excess capacity.

After decades of economic and social despair that once saw it named the poorest big city in America, Cleveland has become a model of revitalization, thanks to a unique “anchor strategy” that harnesses the immense wealth and power of the city’s public institutions.