Rite Aid Healthy Futures Supports Food Programs in Baltimore
For immediate release.
4 leading nonprofits will receive grants totaling more than $1M through Strengthening Cities initiative
CAMP HILL, PA – Rite Aid Healthy Futures is committing more than $1 million to leading Baltimore food access programs through its new Strengthening Cities signature initiative, designed to reduce health disparities for children and youth living within city neighborhoods.
Part of a larger two-year, $10 million commitment focused on Baltimore and five other cities, the funding announced today aims to advance food equity and food sovereignty. It will support dynamic urban farming projects, youth apprenticeship programs, efforts to curb childhood obesity, school pantries and more in Baltimore, where 23.5 percent of the city’s population lives in areas identified as healthy food priority areas – or places where it may be difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food.
The Maryland Food Bank will receive $400,000 to support its School Pantry Program & Food First Capacity Grant Program, which help alleviate childhood hunger in Maryland by distributing food to low-income students and their families at no cost through neighborhood schools. The grant will also provide the food bank’s partners with resources to build their capacity, expand food access and address the root causes of hunger.
Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm will receive $250,000 to support its AgriHood Baltimore project. The program teaches children and youth the benefits of growing, eating and understanding healthy food. The farm aims to educate children on ways to grow food, enroll youth in a 9-month workforce development program and teach residents through healthy-eating demonstrations while expanding their food distribution efforts.
“This new partnership is another significant step toward realizing our dream of a Baltimore with beautiful flowers, healthy trees, clean air, quality water, greener foods – and ultimately a better quality of life for our young people,” said Richard Francis, executive director of the Plantation Park Heights Urban Farm. “Our vibrant Parks Heights community has been left even more eager to show that our vibrant neighborhoods, working together, can create a sustainable and replicable AgriHood Baltimore with increased access to healthy food, new knowledge and valuable skills in nutrition.”
Johns Hopkins Centro SOL, which promotes equity in health and opportunity for Latinos, will receive $200,000 for programs aiming to reduce obesity disparities for Latino children in immigrant families. The project will include a pilot weight-management program for children and their families, with a focus on nutrition, cooking demonstrations and physical activity.
“This grant responds to the urgent need to identify and disseminate effective programs that address persistent disparities in childhood obesity for Latino children in immigrant families,” said Mónica Guerrero Vázquez, executive director of Johns Hopkins Centro SOL. “This work has become even more imperative as the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately increased the obesity rate among Latino children compared to white children. Not just do we need to prevent obesity, we need to address it where it exists by advancing clinical care, research, education, and advocacy in partnership with our Latino neighbors.”
Intersection of Change, a community-based nonprofit that addresses poverty-related challenges in Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester, Upton and surrounding communities, will receive $200,000 for its Strength to Love II – Urban Youth Agriculture Program. The project will train youth in urban agriculture with year-round farming activities, teach job skills, and provide STEM-based classroom and hydroponics lab-based learning.
“Racial inequities and health disparities across big cities and small towns in the U.S. continue to profoundly affect the lives and futures of tens of millions of Americans every day. ZIP codes have unparalleled consequences for one’s life opportunities and long-term outlook,” said Matt DeCamara, executive director of Rite Aid Healthy Futures. “The Strengthening Cities initiative will confront the harsh realities of poverty and hunger while impacting many lives and futures. We cannot achieve racial equity if we do not also achieve health equity for all Americans.”
Formerly known as The Rite Aid Foundation, Rite Aid Healthy Futures is the public charity created by Rite Aid in 2001. The organization launched a new brand identity this week to reflect reinvigorated programming focused on quality education, good health, food access, stable housing and income opportunities – often referred to as the social determinants of health.
The Strengthening Cities signature initiative is the first major program to be announced under the banner of Rite Aid Healthy Futures. Overall, Healthy Futures is investing $10 million over two years in the Strengthening Cities program.
Starting with a focus on food equity, the Strengthening Cities initiative will initially fund 20 nonprofit organizations with an emphasis on Black and Brown-led charities across Baltimore, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Fresno and Philadelphia. The grants will support innovative and sustainable programs that widen food access, advance food sovereignty, address food apartheid and ultimately improve health outcomes for children and their families. Programs include community gardens, urban farms, school partnerships, hunger-relief efforts and more.
“We’re as eager to listen and learn from our Baltimore partners as we are to support them,” DeCamara said. “Together, we can make positive change one city, one neighborhood, one person, one action at a time. We can all be the human spark that drives real progress and uplifts our neighborhoods.”
About Rite Aid Healthy Futures
Rite Aid Healthy Futures is a public charity dedicated to driving change in communities, with emphasis on underserved neighborhoods, focusing on the areas of health, wellness, race and equity. Together with our donors, Rite Aid associates, community partners and neighbors, we help lift up local neighborhoods through caring actions and investments that make a real difference in people’s lives. Healthy Futures is proud to be affiliated with Rite Aid, which provides an array of whole being health products and services for the entire family through over 2,000 retail pharmacy locations across 17 states. Visit www.RiteAidHealthyFutures.org to learn more about our work.
Media Contact:
Andrew Staub
Communications Specialist
Rite Aid Healthy Futures Andrew.Staub@riteaid.com
717-649-2437 (Text messages OK)
