People’s Grocery
Their mission is to build a local food system that improves the health and economy of West Oakland. West Oakland is a community with the highest joblessness and chronic disease rates in the city—its residents also have limited access to healthy and fresh foods. Their work involves increasing local supply of fresh foods; advocating for living-wage business and job opportunities; and developing strong relationships and community leadership.
Their Philosophy:
They want to change the way the food system works.
They believe everyone should have access to healthy food, regardless of income. They call this "food justice" - the belief that healthy food is a human right. The food system is failing to provide low-income people with the healthy foods they need to thrive. It is also failing to create good jobs and support local food businesses in urban communities. People’s Grocery works toward creating a food system that prioritizes the needs of the urban poor.
Their Work:
People's Grocery has attracted local and national attention in their effort to transform the inner city food environment and address health problems in West Oakland. They pursue unique approaches to community health and food security that contribute new ways of solving our community's needs. Their efforts to build more innovation into their approaches have provided them with first hand knowledge and in-depth understanding of how to provide healthy foods and nutrition education to inner city residents. This is the essence of how People's Grocery lives its mission in the community everyday.