The FOOD Initiative is fully underway and going very well! This grant funded project (thank you to the Philadelphia Foundation) is allowing us to identify and interview organizations in the Delaware Valley that are connected to youth nutrition, sustainable agriculture and gardening, preparation for employment, and other food programming in the hopes of building partnerships and identifying gaps in services. We have spent the past few months developing protocols, researching organizations, and contacting people to learn about the programs they provide.

We have interviewed a number of individuals and discovered efforts great and small to teach youth (and adults) about healthy local eating.  We’ve learned about the Sustainable Agriculture Internship Training Alliance (SAITA) run through Maysie’s Farm Conservation Center in partnership with other farms, the YMCA’s H.I.P. Kids nutrition and fitness program, Rushton Farm’s agroecology programs, and dozens more valuable educational and fun activities for youth and adults to improve the health of themselves and the environment. We’ve also heard about needs that people have identified in their communities related to youth nutrition, and already see lots of potential for collaboration. We’re continuing to talk to people in the next few months to compile data and are excited to share the results of our findings later this year.