FRESH APPROACH
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : r**************i@f***********h.o*g
Mission Statement
FRESH APPROACH IS ON A MISSION TO CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE EAT IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. We believe fresh, healthy food grown by California farmers is an integral part of the solution to the growing problem of obesity and poor nutrition in Bay Area communities. Every day, through our educational programs, we connect low-income individuals and families with California-grown food and give them the knowledge they need to make smart diet choices because everyone, regardless of means, deserves access to fresh, healthy and affordable food.
About This Cause
Making Healthy Food More Accessible in the San Francisco Bay Area The Bay Area grew because of its close proximity to some of the most productive farmland in the world. Long growing seasons and the diversity of produce grown across California’s many bio-regions, have made for an abundant and diverse local food shed. Numerous local farmers’ markets offer this incredible farm-fresh produce to the public, giving the Bay Area its reputation as a “Foodie’s Dream.” Unfortunately for many families in the Bay Area, this “foodie’s dream” feels unattainable. Too many people live without access to fresh produce and experience a disconnection with local farms. Without access to healthy food, families and communities experience alarming rates of diet-related diseases, including obesity and diabetes. Simultaneously, threats to California’s farmers persist and farm businesses continue to vanish, as small farmers struggle to compete. The statistics are staggering: Roughly 4.9 million adults and 1.9 million children experience food insecurity in California, which is an average of 1 in 8 Californians (Second Harvest Food Bank). In the 6 Bay Area counties where Fresh Approach offers programs, 13% of the population (>1 in 8), for a total of more than 850,000 people, experience food insecurity, compared to 12.5% statewide. (Feeding America) In California, the combined overweight/obesity rate hovers at 31.2% among 10-17 year olds, placing California 24th nationally. In the Bay Area counties, 1 in 4 children are overweight or obese. For the first time in history, this generation of American children may have a shorter life expectancy due to increased cases of diet-related diseases. (CDC, 2016) In the last 25 years, California has paved over more than a million acres of land, much of it prime farmland (American Farmland Trust). Development is now consuming an average of about 40,000 acres of California agricultural land per year, or more than 100 acres a day. If current trends continue, another two million acres will be lost by 2050. (American Farmland Trust). These social, political and environmental issues are unmistakably intertwined. Without readily available fresh produce, negative health impacts are guaranteed. Without local farms, fresh whole foods are less available. The health of our citizens, our communities and our food system depend on each other. Locally produced food, and the farmers that produce California’s fresh and seasonal produce, are instrumental in addressing the diet-related diseases seen throughout the Bay Area. A population which values farmland and eats a healthy diet of local and seasonal whole-foods is key to slowing the rapid loss of farmland. By addressing these issues as interconnected, Fresh Approach works to strategically support local farmers, improve health outcomes, and improve long-term community food security. Since 2008, Fresh Approach’s dynamic combination of programs have improved access to healthy local produce and farmers’ markets, increased knowledge of how to eat healthy, while simultaneously working upstream to create long-term changes. The Freshest Cargo mobile farmers’ market, operating in four Bay Area counties, sources from local farmers and brings fresh produce to underserved communities where people naturally gather. VeggieRx is a behavior change nutrition education program for underserved individuals, youth, and families who have diet-related health conditions. Collective Roots programs in East Palo Alto (EPA), now programs of Fresh Approach, provide garden education, a community farmers’ market, and matching incentives for using federal benefits at the community farmers’ market. Market Match, offered through both the EPA community and the mobile farmers’ market, is a proven way to increase participation at farmers’ markets among CalFresh and other federal nutrition program participants, by matching federal benefits dollars. Together, Fresh Approach’s programs provide tangible nutrition education, culturally relevant cooking demonstrations, and more easy and affordable access to healthy foods. Through innovative partnerships, with schools, clinics, libraries, senior centers, food banks, farmers, farmers’ markets, and non-profit organizations, Fresh Approach deepens and expands its work in partnership with trusted community organizations. By addressing food access and equity barriers, and by helping participants form personal connections with local food, farms and farmers’ markets, community is built, health is restored, and individual well-being emerges. Instructing people to eat differently is not sufficient to create healthy changes. Real-world connections with nutritious local food, farms, and farmers markets change eating habits and build a sense of well-being. Through reintroducing the simple art of making healthy fresh meals, Fresh Approach is changing health outcomes for future generations. When you support Fresh Approach, real people’s lives are changed for the better. By supporting Fresh Approach, tens of thousands of people gain access to healthy, locally grown food. Fresh Approach’s outreach doubles access to farmers’ markets for food assistance program participants and improves access to healthy food through our mobile farmers’ market program for more than 80,000 people. 89% of Fresh Approach’s nutrition program participants eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and nearly 40% lose weight. Fresh Approach is instrumental in creating a sustainable food system where people of all incomes have access to fresh, affordable, and local food; where essential nutrition education is widespread, enabling people to make healthy choices; and where California certified farmers remain vibrant sources of fresh food for local communities. Join Fresh Approach in making the experience of healthy, fresh, and local California grown produce a reality for more Bay Area families. Become a change maker with us by supporting access to healthy, local food and education that changes lives.