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Food Access

Research shows that means that 1 in 6 people do not know when their next meal will be. Neighborhoods in communities like South Los Angeles are located in food swamps and food deserts, resulting in high costs of healthy alternatives and little access to nutritious foods.

At National Health Foundation, we are committed to ensuring that every individual  has access to nutritious, whole foods that enable communities to achieve their highest level of health. Through partnerships with local schools and organizations, NHF works with students and community members to identify barriers to food access and develop solutions to address them. Here are some examples of our work below:

Health Academy

Health Academy is an afterschool program that organizes and mobilizes South LA high school students to tackle food access and built environment issues in their neighborhood. The students are trained on research methods and civic engagement tactics that help improve community conditions. Together, they identify and implement policy, system and environmental changes or projects that will help improve the community’s health. Past projects include the launch of ShareTable to reduce food waste in schools, implementation of hydration stations and healthy market makeovers in South LA grocery stores.

Calfresh Connection

NHF’s CalFresh Connection program is an official partner of DPSS and the California Association of Food Banks, which provides 1-on-1 technical assistance with CalFresh applications. This work is conducted with the support of NHF’s CalFresh Promotoras who are local leaders and strong advocates for ending food insecurity and improving health in their community.

In addition, NHF Promotoras also conduct community outreach and education on CalFresh benefits through group presentations and at community events.

CalFresh Healthy Living – Nutrition Education

NHF’s CalFresh Healthy Living program promotes healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle among enrolled or eligible CalFresh recipients across Los Angeles. With funding support from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the CalFresh Healthy Living Program improves the nutritional health of low-income community residents. NHF’s Health Educators teach Angelenos about good nutrition and how to stretch their food dollars, while also building partnerships in communities to make the healthy choice, the easy choice. Classes are available for all – from young children to seniors. We even conduct live healthy cooking demonstrations!

Learn more at our Facebook page, NHF Familias Saludables/NHF Healthy Families.

Our Impact

$235,200
Dollars in food benefits accessed for families and infused into the local economy
700
individuals received assistance with submitting applications for government food benefits
11
food distributions hosted, and over 24,000 pounds of food given away

Contact

For more information about National Health Foundation’s Health Education and CalFresh Connection programs, or to request services, please contact:

Melissa Arvizu
Director of Nutrition & Food Security Programs 213-538-0707 marvizu@nhfca.org