1. Engaging Stakeholders to Increase Access to Healthy Food Chester Williams, MS Executive Director of A Better Chance, A Better Community Jed Hinkley, MPH Healthy Foods Coordinator, Partnerships to Improve Community Health in Northeastern NC, Region 9 NCALHD

2. The Problem  About one in every five people in North Carolina is “food insecure” and will not have access to enough nutritious food this year.  A large part of this problem is that too many people live in “food deserts” and cannot access the healthy food they need.  According to the USDA, almost 2 million North Carolina residents live in communities with low access to healthy food, a number which includes over 450,000 children.  Chronic disease related to poor nutrition is a significant problem in northeast NC. http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1896841/err194.pdf

3. Town/Community Name  In our community, there are food deserts located in or near:  Hobgood  Tillery  Scotland Neck  Enfield  Hollister  Central & Southeastern Halifax County

5. Approach #1  Empowering young people to participate in effective youth-adult partnerships that work to provide access to nutritious and affordable food is an important factor in enabling community residents to make easy, healthy choices about their nutrition.

6. Local Efforts with Non-traditional Health Partners  Corner Store Redesign is a project that focuses on increasing the availability and sales of healthy food options by implementing easy, low-cost, and effective methods for store owners.  The goal of this project is to increase the amount, accessibility, and appeal of healthy food options in the store.

7. Taking Action:  Meet with corner store/convenience store owners to help increase sales and redesign stores to promote healthy food sales.  Educate the community on food deserts and access issues.  Meet with local and state officials to determine ways they can help and support our work.  Participate in state-level campaigns to work towards a public/private partnership to increase access to healthy food.  Meet with local farmers to connect with local store owners to provide a variety of local produce.

8. ABC2 YouthTeam is working hard to increase access to healthy produce. These young minds have identified 5 corner stores to become healthier & profitable. Empress Tray Dawnte' Rekita ABC2 Youth

9. Approach #2 – PICH Efforts 17 Counties 423,000 Residents

11. We may not all be motivated by health….. ….. but we are usually motivated by something.

12. Areas of Commonality  Food  Farming  Community  Helping people  Small business  Preserving a way of life  Improving the economy of the region

13. New Markets and Stands Coming Soon!

15. Next Steps  Seek continued funding to provide support to current groups  Recruit new youth-adult groups into the network  Continued education of policy makers about food access issues and share success stories  Link Farmers Markets to Corner Store Owners  Link farmers to new retail opportunities  Increase the number of farmers markets and roadside stands  Raise awareness about options that already exist