Building Healthy Communities

Project Title

The Gaia Food Empowerment Project

Grant Amount

$15,000

Priority Area

Building Healthy Communities

Date Awarded

November 8, 2019

Region

NYC

Status

Closed

Website

https://brotherhood-sistersol.org/

Through its Healthy Neighborhoods Fund initiative, NYHealth is supporting six communities across New York State to become healthier, more active places.

Although all the communities are working toward the common goal of improving the health of their residents, each community may face particular challenges. By offering responsive and time-sensitive technical assistance funding to grantees and their partners, NYHealth can help them meet their goals. In 2019, NYHealth awarded Brotherhood/Sister Sol (Bro/Sis) a grant to engage youth in East Harlem in a health and environmental leadership program.

Under this grant, Bro/Sis helped young people in East Harlem develop food justice leadership and job skills through its Gaia Food Empowerment Project. The project trained youth leaders to support healthy food access and sustainability in their communities. Bro/Sis began a YouthMarket farm stand in the community to engage young people in its operations and increase healthy food access for residents. It ran culinary skills and nutrition workshops for community members to learn how to prepare healthy food and increase their knowledge base. To build leadership and job skills among young people, it also offered educational training, workshops, and conferences on food advocacy, environmental justice, and business operations.