Rite Aid Healthy Futures Supports Food Programs in Detroit
For immediate release.
2 leading nonprofits will receive grants totaling $900,000 through Strengthening Cities initiative
CAMP HILL, PA – Rite Aid Healthy Futures is committing nearly $1 million to two leading Detroit 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 Detroit and five other cities, the funding announced today aims to advance food equity and food sovereignty. It will support community agriculture, promote healthy eating and expand youth farming apprenticeship programs throughout Detroit.
The Detroit Black Community Food Security Network will receive $500,000 to expand its Food Warriors and Food n’ Flava Programs. The programs will expose more children and youth to hands-on farming experiences to increase their knowledge of the food system, develop urban agricultural skills and instill a healthy sense of self-esteem through African-American cultural immersion.
The programs will teach kids to build gardens, harvest and prepare food in healthy ways and train older youth in basic entrepreneurial knowledge and skills related to growing and selling their produce at local markets.
“One of the causes of poor health in many predominantly Black urban communities is lack of easy access to high-quality, fresh, nutrient-dense produce. Our programs address this crisis by providing access to those essential foods,” said Malik Yakini, executive director at the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. “Our programs also encourage community members to take action to create more equitable and healthier communities. Ultimately, we are striving to nurture a sense of agency within the young people so that they see themselves as having responsibility to make positive changes in their community.”
Keep Growing Detroit will receive $400,000 to support its Healthy Eaters to Healthy Leaders Project, which promotes health and engages youth and families in ways that develop positive relationships with healthy foods. The project will provide resources and support for more than 1,000 gardens that engage youth during the growing seasons, as well as build the pipeline of young leaders in the food system through a seven-week Summer Youth Apprenticeship.
“While every garden makes an impact in its own way, it is the powerful interconnection between thousands of gardens and individuals that is inspiring transformational change in our local food system,” said Ashley Atkinson, Co-Director of Keep Growing Detroit. “We continue to cultivate a food-sovereign city where the majority of fruits and vegetables Detroiters consume are grown by residents within the city. Our strategic approach to achieving our mission helps beginner gardeners become engaged community leaders and food entrepreneurs, addresses the immediate needs of the community and promotes sustainable change in our food system.”
The Michigan Department of Agriculture has previously found that as many as 19 Detroit neighborhoods don’t have access to grocery stores. More, the lack of a reliable transportation system in Detroit makes it difficult for those without a vehicle to obtain fresh, affordable food. Overall in the city, about 30,000 people do not have access to a full-line grocer and about 48 percent of households are food insecure.
“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 Detroit 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)
