Rite Aid Healthy Futures Supports Food Programs in Philadelphia
For immediate release.
6 leading nonprofits will receive grants totaling $1.82 million through Strengthening Cities initiative
CAMP HILL, PA – Rite Aid Healthy Futures is committing $1.82 million to six leading Philadelphia 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 $10 million, two-year commitment focused on Philadelphia and five other cities, the funding announced today aims to advance food equity and food sovereignty. It will support community farm programs, food distribution and more in Philadelphia, where up to half of the residents of some neighborhoods can find themselves more than half a mile from a grocery store, compared to just 1 percent of Center City residents.
Bartram’s Garden will receive $400,000 to support its Sankofa Community Farm. The African Diaspora-focused farm emphasizes intergenerational relationship building for about 25 high school students and young adults employed at the Southwest Philadelphia farm, with funding set to benefit the 110 families and elders participating as community or home gardeners and the 500 households shopping at the weekly seasonal farm stand.
New Kensington Community Development Corporation will receive $400,000 to support its Public Green Space Initiative, which will build, maintain and program new garden spaces designed to improve health outcomes of children and families and increase sustainable land sovereignty and food production in the area.
“By increasing food access, nutrition education and access to critical resources, this project will result in improved health for hundreds of young people, families and our neighborhood at large,” said Bill McKinney, executive director at the New Kensington Community Development Corporation. “Additionally, it’s another opportunity to collaborate with violence-reduction programs to create safe passages in a neighborhood that has seen more violence than any other part of the city.”
Philabundance will receive $400,000 to expand programs in neighborhoods such as Sharswood/Brewerytown, Hartranft, Strawberry Mansion, Tioga/Nicetown and Frankford. Projects will include a mixture of immediate food relief and long-term strategic activities. Through a combination of immediate food assistance paired with community engagement and strategic partnerships, Philabundance is working to lower food insecurity, reduce the need for families to make trade-offs between food and other necessities, and give individuals and families the resources they need to remain food-secure in the long term.
Urban Tree Connection will receive $300,000 for its Food Sovereignty Share program that seeks to fight hunger, reduce food insecurity and improve community health in the Haddington neighborhood of West Philadelphia. Haddington is a vibrant Black/African-American working-class neighborhood where UTC’s community gardens and farm sites reside, and community-led food distribution efforts takes place.
“The consequences of decades of disinvestment have led to many of the socio-economic challenges that Haddington neighbors face, from housing and food insecurity, to significant health diseases and challenges amongst both children and adults. These conditions have only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Noelle Warford, executive director at Urban Tree Connection. “We are committed to building a just and equitable food system. Through our Food Sovereignty Share program we coordinate with block captains to grow and distribute healthy and culturally significant foods to meet the community’s growing needs, while also growing our neighbors’ sense of agency, participation and leadership.”
The Food Trust will receive $200,000 to build on its Farm to School/Early Care and Education program, which connects schools and early education settings with local food producers. The nonprofit organization will implement 15 place-based preschool and school-age farm to school projects across Philadelphia, convene a regional learning collaborative to inform farm to school and early care education programs (ECE) and pilot an incentive program encouraging ECE sites participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to purchase locally grown produce, bolstering local agriculture.
Urban Creators will receive $120,000 for its Urban Agriculture and Sovereignty Education Programs, which empower community members with the skills, frameworks and social connections necessary to build self-determination and resiliency. The nonprofit will work with schools to engage students in workshops related to food, environmental justice, sustainability and urban agriculture. It will also offer paid fellowship opportunities for youth in the ongoing effort to build sovereignty in North Philadelphia.
“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 Philadelphia 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)
