Healthy Foods

PartnerSHIP 4 Health is reconnecting people with healthy foods and giving communities the tools they need to help residents make healthy food choices.

We are establishing community partnerships which include members from a variety of disciplines and interests with a purpose of strengthening the local food system, positively impacting the health and food security of our citizens as well as the local economy and environment in which we live. Here are a few of the exciting things happening as a result of these partnerships:

• We are bringing local food producers and buyers together to develop networks needed to identify what foods businesses want, ways to procure and distribute local foods to businesses. We have engaged food service buyers from schools, nursing homes, hospitals, and assisted living facilities to interact with producers and develop the relationships needed to procure local foods.
• We are strengthening farmers markets by bolstering infrastructure and membership, bringing farmers market coordinators together to share experiences and learn new ideas from a farmers market coach, and provide signage to help guide people to locally grown foods.
• We are working with emergency food shelves to fight hunger and improve access to healthy foods.  We do this collaboratively by bringing together regional food pantry directors and volunteers for meaningful discussion to share experiences and explore opportunities to provide healthy foods for the clients they serve.
• We are helping Minnesota develop a Food Charter by gathering a variety of people to express their opinions about food accessibility in Minnesota. These conversations will help craft a document that expresses a clear and compelling vision for how all residents can obtain healthy, affordable and safe food. The Food Charter will ensure that the healthy, affordable and safe choice is the easy choice for all Minnesotans.
• We are bringing communities together in conversation about healthy food. Through the One Vegetable One Community project, communities are rallying around growing, cooking and sharing a single healthy vegetable.