Raise funds to put health fruits and vegetables in corner stores around New York City.
Leader
Heather Butts
Location
1 Clyde Place Staten Island, NY 10301
The Clementine Collective is a fresh food program that aims to aid those from low socioeconomic backgrounds who live in food deserts by establishing Bodegas around Staten Island. Bodegas are small corner stores common in NYC. Studies have proven the utility of bodegas in improving accessibility to healthy foods due to their convenience, and in persuading consumer choices.
Clementine Collective cultivates a community-centric food sourcing model that not only exposes food insecurities, but transforms local resources, such as bodegas, to address these insecurities.
June - End of Project Purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for corner stores around NYC. Each Clementine Collective stand costs $100 per month. We currently have 12 stands around the city and hope to add more. You can learn more about the project on our website: https://www.health4youths.org/clementine-collective.html
Food insecurity is the lack of availability of food or inability of individuals to access and afford food.
Previous literature has indicated that socioeconomically and racially marginalized communities have higher rates of food insecurity. In many neighborhoods throughout the United States, nutritious, affordable and high quality food are out of reach in historically marginalized communities. This may be attributable to the lack of economic investment in said communities. It is vital that resources and funding are allocated to historically disenfranchised communities to cultivate accessibility to fresh and nutritious food options. Furthermore, there is an ever-growing body of evidence that indicates the impact of the food environment on long-term health outcomes of those who inhabit the environment. Food insecurity has been linked to multiple chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, mental health disorders, to name a few.
A 2016 analysis of more than 18,000 households found that U.S. residents living in food deserts, or areas with few healthy food options had their odds of obesity increased by 30% compared to residents not living in food deserts. There also appears to be a significant relationship between communities of color and lower socioeconomic status and being denied fresh, healthy, and affordable foods.
While there is growing evidence of the existence of food insecurities in certain communities and their health effects, there are very few studies on the impacts of sustainable policies that tackle food insecurity, particularly policies that galvanize those directly impacted by food insecurity at the local and community level. To create these policies entails community empowerment, or the process by which those typically excluded from the decision making, gain ‘control’ over decision making to take social action. Community empowerment includes participation in public health matters, prioritization of community based organizations, selection of local leadership1. This translates into building capacity within communities, so that community members are empowered to take action and implement sustainable solutions.
Our study examined community attitudes towards food insecurity, and whether communities would be ‘empowered’ to effect change in their food environments. These motives are particularly relevant with Clementine Collective since one of its core objectives is to collaborate with communities to understand their local needs and provide resources accordingly based on community feedback. The lack of healthy food options is a significant concern in many communities because food insecurity is a growing, multi-pronged public health issue that has adverse and pervasive effects on many aspects of an individuals’ health. Therefore, sustainable and effective solutions that include multiple stakeholders, both policy makers and community residents, are necessary.
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