Health In The Hood Inc

Health in the Hood Mission Statement: To eliminate food insecurity by building urban vegetable farms, distributing free local produce, teaching health education and creating sustainable local food ecosystems. Since 2013 Health in the Hood has served low income neighborhoods by building vibrant vegetable gardens, providing free local produce and teaching health education workshops for families in food deserts. The neighborhoods we serve have extremely limited access to fresh foods and health education resources. More than 23 million Americans live in food deserts- areas that are more than mile away from a supermarket. South Florida is home to 326 food deserts. All of the produce grown i... read more Health in the Hood Mission Statement: To eliminate food insecurity by building urban vegetable farms, distributing free local produce, teaching health education and creating sustainable local food ecosystems. Since 2013 Health in the Hood has served low income neighborhoods by building vibrant vegetable gardens, providing free local produce and teaching health education workshops for families in food deserts. The neighborhoods we serve have extremely limited access to fresh foods and health education resources. More than 23 million Americans live in food deserts- areas that are more than mile away from a supermarket. South Florida is home to 326 food deserts. All of the produce grown in Health in the Hood gardens is distributed for free to children and families, local food pantries, churches and community centers in food desert neighborhoods. Our gardens produce many different vegetables and fruits including collard greens, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, herbs, green beans, radishes, carrots, arugula, squash, cucumbers, potatoes, watermelon, kale, onions, okra, eggplant, potatoes and more! Local residents are hired to maintain the gardens, providing needed jobs, and colorful murals are painted on the vegetable beds to enhance community beautification The gardens not only provide fresh foods, they are also integral learning vehicles. They are tangible teaching tools that provide simple yet powerful educational opportunities. Growing their own food dramatically change people's attitudes and understanding of food choices. Our health education curriculum consists of high energy, incentive-based nutrition and fitness programs. Our workshops include interactive nutrition games, healthy eating competitions, cooking demonstrations, ingredient label training, food journaling, exercise obstacles courses, yoga and aerobics classes and more! Children who grow up near Heath in the Hood gardens are more likely to adopt healthy habits. This is a direct result of growing their own healthy foods. Kids are organically learning about the benefits of healthy eating. Our interactive mobile vegetable pantry distributes free, fresh vegetables in food desert neighborhoods. Kids are able to hop aboard our beautiful vegetable truck and choose their favorite fruits and vegetables in an inclusive and exciting environment. We now have the ability to connect our gardens and transport vegetables to additional neighborhoods. The mobile market is an inclusive and hands-on experience. Children and families are able to board the beautiful bus and select the produce they want in an interactive and educational setting. The bus also makes the organization mobile. We now have the ability to transport the produce we grow to local farmer's markets and restaurants. We are also now able to collect produce donations from local restaurants and farms. By providing access to fresh foods and health education in low-income neighborhoods, we are putting children on the path to healthy futures, giving parents useful information and creating environments that encourage healthy choices. We believe the future of food is local and we have all the tools we need to make that happen. Health in the Hood is working to create healthier communities, one garden at a time! Health in the Hood was featured on Returning the Favor. The show profiles community work being done around the country and then surprises an honoree with a major gift at the end of each episode. Check out our episode here: http://mikerowe.com/2018/07/rtf-beauty-and-the-beets/ We were also invited to give a TEDx Talk to share our ideas about sustainable urban agriculture as a solution to food insecurity. Check it out here: https://www.ted.com/talks/asha_walker_plant_a_seed_and_reclaim_your_food_system_apr_2019 Health in the Hood is creating healthy communities by building vegetable gardens and teaching wellness in under-served neighborhoods. We are a 501c3 organization that converts vacant land in food deserts, into vibrant vegetable gardens. Health in the Hood provides free, fresh foods for children and families in communities that lack healthy options. All of the produce grown in Health in the Hood gardens is distributed for free to children and families, local food pantries, churches and community centers in fooddesert neighborhoods. Local residents are hired to maintain the gardens, providing needed jobs. Colorful murals are painted on the vegetable beds to enhance community beautification. Our heath education workshops include interactive nutrition games, healthy eating competitions, cooking demonstrations, ingredient label training, food journaling, exercise obstacles courses, yoga and aerobics classes and more! Health in the Hood serves children, families, senior citizens and local residents in low income, food desert communities. The families we serve in the Greater Miami area live in neighborhoods without grocery stores, subjecting them to consume processed, unhealthy foods that lead to diet related diseases. Many of the individuals served by Health in the Hood programs do not have transportation to get to a grocery store outside of their neighborhood. Participants in our programs have limited to no understanding of nutrition and exercise as a lifestyle practice. Many families we serve utilize government assistance programs including SNAP and WIC benefits. All Health in the Hood program participants live at or below the poverty line. Health in the Hood vegetable garden, health education and produce distribution programs work to effectively close the disparity gap between health and geography. Today, your zip code can have a greater effect on your health than your genetic code. The communities we serve are minority communities, often refer to as "the hidden hungry" to denote the lack of education around food insecure neighborhoods. Community engagement is at the root of all of our work. In other words, we show up. We have built immense trust and collaboration within each Health in the Hood community. Over the last six years we have developed deep partnerships with residents, and key community leaders and organizations to ensure engaged and empowered neighborhoods. We have even been contracted by local organizations to share our community engagement strategies. We've found a sweet spot for providing access to healthy food and building empowered communities. Our urban farming programs take place in our community vegetable gardens in locations across South Florida including Liberty City, Overtown, Opa-Locka and Miami Gardens, Pinewood and other areas. We host our nutrition, fitness and urban farming classroom style workshops in spaces provided by our partners (churches, after school programs, schools and community organizations). In response to COVID-19, we also began providing emergency food relief. To date Health in the Hood has grown and distributed over 8,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables. We have facilitated over 700 hours of health education workshops. Through our emergency food relief initiative we have: - served over 4,000 families at our pull up pantry - distributed 1400 ($100) grocery store gift cards - Delivered over 10,500 prepared meals to significantly vulnerable populations including seniors, veterans in transitional housing and adults with developmental disabilities The lack of basic needs created by COVID-19 is still very present. The only certainty we have during these times is lack of certainty. The health disparities that already existed have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Now more than ever we must be creative and innovative in implementing solutions to increasing access to fresh food for all. We know our work transforms neighborhoods and makes healthy eating a reality for many who would otherwise be unable to access fresh food. Our goal is to continue to build sustainable healthy communities. Our vision includes creating local food ecosystems in every South Florida food desert by expanding out network of vegetable gardens. Scaling our programs translates into more fresh foods for low income families and healthier, informed communities. Our ultimate goal is irradiate food insecurity and educate all communities by using innovative growing and community engagement strategies. A. funding request would support the following: A. Existing urban vegetable farm maintenance and replanting B. Emergency Food Relief Operations 1. Drive thru pantry 2. Grocery gift card distribution 3. Procurement of prepared meals C. Development and Distribution of 200 at home vegetable grow kits. These grow kits will be malleable in their components and will be available for both indoor and outdoor growing. D. Transition to digital health and wellness curriculum online platform utilizing an interactive calendar combined with other media platforms (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook). Our heath education workshops include interactive nutrition games, healthy eating competitions, cooking demonstrations, ingredient label training, food journaling, Fitness, container gardening, yoga more. Additional Links https://www.nbcmiami.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Health-in-The-Hood-Brings-Veggies-to-Underserved-Areas_Miami-489650571.html https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Urban-Gardens-Flourish-in-South-Floridas-Food-Deserts-476275873.html https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CIiTVAPt0sg&t=33s http://www.miaminewtimes.com/restaurants/health-in-the-hood-brings-fresh-food-to-neighborhoods-in-need-7911701 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biJW64ZYSUk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91ktp7YeYLs