Vetri Community Partnership’s Mobile Teaching Kitchen is one IBC Foundation partner that works to reduce the number of food deserts in our region.
When you go food shopping, you most likely have a wide range of options to choose from. Not only in which retailer you choose — organic grocery store, famer’s market, local grocery chain — but also in the kinds of food you select to take home — fresh, in-season tomatoes; locally grown kale; organic strawberries.
Now imagine if you went to the only grocery store near your house and the majority of the food options were in boxes or cans. There were only a handful of produce options, and the majority of them looked unripe or out of season. Unfortunately, this is the reality that many people who live in food deserts face on a daily basis.
Food deserts — defined as a community or neighborhood with limited access to affordable, nutrient-dense food options — are an unfortunate reality in our region, affecting both city neighborhoods and pockets of rural and suburban areas. Furthermore, the negative effects of food deserts on a person’s health are nearly endless, ranging from higher rates of obesity to chronic diseases.1
IBC Foundation Partners to Address Food Insecurity
In an effort to reduce the number of food deserts in our region, the IBC Foundation (Foundation) Building Healthier Communities grant program partners with local organizations to support projects that focus on the health needs of underserved populations and specifically address nutrition and food insecurity. Some of our partners include:
Good Samaritan Shelter’s Nourish Mobile Market
Nourish is a mobile food market, offering local, healthy, and fresh food for sale to those struggling with food insecurity or with limited transportation in Chester County and the surrounding communities. In addition, Nourish is a social enterprise that provides employment opportunities for individuals residing in local shelters.
Share Food Program’s Package Program
Share Food Program works to build healthier, stronger communities through volunteerism and access to wholesome foods. Its Nice Roots Farm provides local, affordable, and nutrient-rich produce for families in neighborhoods where low-price produce is not readily available, and Share’s “Package Program” expands access to healthy and affordable food, through below-retail food packages.
Vetri Community Partnership’s Mobile Teaching Kitchen
Vetri Community Partnership programs promote healthy habits and emphasize the importance of nutritious food. Having recently launched its Mobile Teaching Kitchen, Vetri Community Partnership now brings a culinary teaching experience to schools, farmer’s markets, and other community events to provide community members with free, hands-on cooking demonstrations using healthy and fresh, seasonal ingredients.
