Healthy Eating & Active Living
Health disparities - the difference between the health status of minorities and non minorities - are a nation-wide problem. Central, a neighborhood greatly impacted by health disparities, is community the Foundation has partnered with to support the development of healthy residents in healthy communities.
Low income communities often have higher rates of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Being overweight is a factor in these diseases. And in Central, like many low-income neighborhoods, fast-food stores are more accessible than grocery stores.
These neighborhoods or communities are sometimes referred to as "food deserts," - areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture did a major study on food deserts in the United States and their impact on Americans' health.
Encouraging and getting people to eat healthier and be more physically active is one way to reduce disparities. But first residents need the resources, support and opportunity to do so, for example, access to fresh, healthy food.
The Foundation is actively engaged in supporting urban agriculture and market gardens to improve the food environment for the Central Neighborhood, including sponsoring the the Building Healthy Communities program, which includes the Garden Boyz and their urban garden in Central that sells fresh produce to local markets in the neighborhood.
The Garden Boyz were featured in an article about urban farming and Cleveland's comeback and a piece on Channel 3, WKYC.
There's been an explosion of urban farming in Cleveland. Read the study, "Reimagining a More Sustainable Cleveland," which looked at the vacant property available in Cleveland and mapped out re-use ideas that included redeveloping areas as community gardens, urban farms, parks, and other neighborhood-
friendly uses.
This year the Foundation is participating in the project that provides a financial incentive for Ohio Direction Card recipients to spend a portion of their benefits at local farmers markets for fresh vegetables and fruits. Last year, four markets were selected to participate in the Electronic Benefits Transfer incentive program that provided an additional $5 each time a person on the Food Assistance Program bought at least $5 in food at one of the markets using their Ohio Direction Card.
Nine local markets already have EBT technology and other local markets have applications pending with the USDA to begin offering EBT access at their markets this year.
The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition was instrumental in moving this project forward. The coalition is working to foster a healthier food system in the region, and show how food can impact the "health of individuals, communities, the economy and the environment."
The Foundation is also supporting the work of Rid-All which is building greenhouses and hoop houses for an urban farm at E. 82nd Street and Otter Avenue. Rid-All has been selected to serve as the regional training site for Will Allen's Growing Power, Inc. program based in Milwaukee.
Ensuring children have access and information on healthy eating and the importance of physical fun is essential. The Foundation supports three programs the Children's Hunger Alliance offers in Central, that touch hundreds of children and their families and provides healthy snacks, as well as information on nutrition, how to make a healthy snack and fun ways to get physical and get moving.
The Foundation sponsors Central students from Marion Sterling, Carl & Louis Stokes Central Academy, Giddings and East Tech High School to participate in Greater Cleveland YMCA's "We Run This City" youth marathon program. 
Children at 28 different Cleveland schools spent 14 weeks training to run a 5-K, 10-K, half marathon and even the full annual Rite Aid Marathon on May 15. This year, some 19,000 runners participated. See a cool clip of the kids training.
The Foundation also supports the city of Cleveland's Department of Health, particularly its work with the Prevention Resource Center for Healthy Neighborhoods at Case Western Reserve University's "corner store" project and their farm to school program. The corner store project focused on making fresh fruits and vegetables more available in convenience stores in Cleveland neighborhoods.
Also read FreshLink about the work over the past five years to bring healthy food to four Cleveland neighborhoods, including Central.