In Miami, a Whole Foods sits in Edgewater with hundreds of shoppers in and out per day. Yet, just over a mile away, across the tracks, sits Overtown, one of many Miami neighborhoods without access to a local grocery store. Instead, the options are fast food restaurants, dollar stores stocked with processed, shelf-stable foods, and limited access to fresh produce.
The reason? Because inequitable systems have decided who gets it. Health in the Hood is directly tackling these barriers with real solutions.
Health in the Hood is a Big Green grantee, founded by Asha Walker in 2013. Their three pillar approach: urban gardening, health and wellness education, and healthy food distribution, is creating a new food ecosystem across Miami.
Gardens are stewarded by staff hired from within the surrounding community who care for and maintain the land. For example, Elvita began as a food recipient and volunteer, later becoming a Pantry Assistant and hired support staff for food distribution programs such as Community Harvest Days and large-scale pop up distributions. This is what economic and cultural investment looks like. This has become a highly successful model that is both repeatable and scalable.
Health in the Hood is bringing more than fresh, healthy food to neighborhoods in Miami. They are growing dignity, trust, and agency.
This is living proof that community knows what community needs. Big Green is committed to finding and funding organizations like Health in the Hood that are solving hyper local problems with solutions rooted in community need.
