Baltimore,
Maryland

Growing Food, Growing Community

While located in a city of remarkable history and beauty, Baltimore communities like Greenmount East and Madison-Eastend face high rates of crime and poverty. And though Baltimore has the oldest health department in the country many city residents still struggle to maintain a healthy and vibrant life. When examining health equity through the lens of food, Black Baltimore residents are the most likely of any racial or ethnic group to live in a food desert – with 31.5 percent living in such an area compared to just 8.9 percent of white residents. Through partnerships with organizations such as Centro SOL and the Maryland Food Bank, Rite Aid Healthy Futures hopes to address inequity in health and food access in Baltimore’s most vulnerable communities.