The People's Money (2022-2023)
Your Money, Your Community, Your Voice.
Changes at "Plant-based cooking series in Coop City (6 weeks) and Supermarket Tours"
Title
- +{"en"=>"Plant-based cooking series in Coop City (6 weeks) and Supermarket Tours"}
Body
-
+["
What problem would you like to solve?
Bronx Eats, Inc. will focus on food insecurity and increasing plant-based cooking knowledge in the Coop City neighborhood of the Bronx. Bronx Eats is proposing several different, yet interrelated, projects in its application to the CEC.
The Bronx is ranked gid://development-app/Decidim::Hashtag/27/62 out of 62 counties for worst health in NY state for the past 13 years. COVID and mortality rates are highest in the Bronx compared to the rest of NYC. Food insecurity in the Bronx is a crisis of epidemic proportions and a central obstacle to personal and public health. Most Bronx neighborhoods do not offer access to enough fresh produce which we know is vital for achieving optimal health and preventing and even reversing disease. The Bronx has some of the very highest rates of diet-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and others. And yet, in the very same place, the Bronx is home to Hunt’s Point Market, the largest food distribution center of its kind in the world, earning annual revenues of over $2 billion. The Bronx is also surrounded by other wealthier neighborhoods, boroughs, and counties that have five times more supermarkets and far fewer fast food outlets than the Bronx; communities in the Bronx have been intentionally divested of resources.
Bronx Eats will increase plant-based, nutritious, scratch-cooking education in the Coop City community and provide increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables by establishing regular cooking demos with a professional NYC chef. Cooking education and increased access to fresh produce have been shown to empower people to improve their diets, reduce consumption of ultra-processed and fast foods, reshape their food preferences, and create a paradigm for community wellness that includes fresh produce, green markets, co-ops, and community gardens.
Bronx Eats has the local credibility and track record to transform food deserts into food sanctuaries by shortening the supply chain, and creating access to fresh produce, local products, and vegan food within Bronx neighborhoods while also inspiring Bronxites to cook healthier plant-based food at home.
Why is it important to solve? Why is it relevant for the community?
Bronxites deserve to grow, advance, and prosper in every avenue of life. Access to healthy and nutrient-dense food is required in order to survive, thrive, and reach our potential. If health is not maintained, neighborhoods have no workforce and human resources are squandered, in addition to putting stress on the healthcare system. Food is not only medicine but also a great means of community building.
We are wasting human resources in the Bronx by depriving people of access to healthy, culturally appropriate, nutritious food, and the skills to prepare it. This can change with an infusion of plant-based cooking education and increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The strength, health, and wellness of Bronx communities depend on this public health upgrade. Food is a basic human right that Bronxites deserve.
What idea do you have to address the problem?
Bronx Eats, Inc. will partner with Chef Kristen Loudermilk from KrisDaBronxVegan, LLC at the Coop City Community Center Mall to offer a six-week plant-based cooking series of demos for nutritious and affordable meal preparation, using culturally appropriate, locally available produce, and grocery items. Supermarket tours will also be offered to participants from the same location to ensure that participants know how to find and identify the needed ingredients to prepare the recipes being presented. The Coop Community Center and the Coop City Times will market these events to the public.
Who would that help?
Low-income and POC Bronxites, including children. The Bronx will become a place of opportunity, food access, and abundance rather than the quintessential example of a racialized food system. Bronx Eats will catalyze Bronxites to feel more empowered in the kitchen, take control of their diets, advance public health, and increase plant-based eating and education on a personal and community-wide level. Bronx Eats will engage every sector of the Bronx community in building a healthier food ecosystem that supports local businesses, creates jobs, improves overall health and wellness, and motivates community boards to advocate its mission.
What neighborhood would benefit from your idea?
Coop City, Bronx, NY
"]
