Rite Aid Healthy Futures Supports Food Programs in Cleveland
For immediate release.
3 leading nonprofits will receive grants totaling $1.17 million through Strengthening Cities initiative
CAMP HILL, PA – Rite Aid Healthy Futures is committing more than $1 million to support Cleveland’s food access programs through its new Strengthening Cities signature initiative, designed to reduce health disparities for children and youth throughout key city neighborhoods.
Part of a larger two-year, $10 million commitment focused on Cleveland and five other cities, the funding announced today aims to advance food equity and food sovereignty. It will support hunger-relief programs, youth education programs, expanded gardening and culinary arts opportunities, as well as help establish food hubs within neighborhoods that too often lack access to fresh, healthy food.
The FARE Project, a broad-based, community-wide initiative designed to connect and support organizations and individuals engaging in healthy food access work in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, will receive $650,000. The funding will support The FARE Project’s Growing the Next Generation project, which will build sustainable community-led food hubs in three Cleveland neighborhoods. It will also help create and expand garden spaces to enhance local food production for children and youth and develop youth programming focused on health outcomes through new strategic partnerships.
“A comprehensive, neighborhood-based, investment to increase access to healthy food and improve health outcomes for youth and families is an incredible opportunity to address the racial inequities and health disparities that have existed in Cleveland for far too long,” said Morgan Taggart, director of FARE. “At the core of our work is the belief that those most affected by an issue should be leading and implementing the solutions. Through this project, FARE will increase access to healthy foods and improve health outcomes through strategies that are based on self-determination and sovereignty.”
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank, the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio, will receive $400,000 to support its Children’s Nutrition Initiative. The project aims to provide critical programming and resources to children through its afterschool food pantries, its Backpacks for Kids program providing meals to kids in need and its weekly food truck distribution of grab-and-go meals.
Food Strong strengthens and empowers communities through fresh, local foods and will receive $120,000 to support its Youth Garden and Culinary Arts Program. The program, aimed at teaching students to grow and use fresh foods, will expand opportunities to new school sites, build onsite learning gardens and provide weekly classes within Cleveland City Schools.
According to Feeding America, a national nonprofit fighting hunger, nearly 14 percent of Cuyahoga County is food insecure. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank also reported that it served 87,000 new people in its fiscal year 2021, as the pandemic exacerbated existing community challenges.
“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 Cleveland 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)
