The Roanoke Foodshed Network (RFN) granted $18,000 to area nonprofits and schools to support food access work in the Roanoke region. The following organizations received funding:
- Roanoke Refugee Partnership
- East Salem Elementary School
- One Valley, Inc.
- Busk Roanoke
- Virginia Cooperative Extension
- Local Environmental Agriculture Project
- West End Center for Youth
- Roanoke Healthy Hearts
- Cave Spring Elementary School PTA
The funding was made possible by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s (VFHY) Healthy Communities Action Teams (HCAT) grant. VFHY provides infrastructure support to build and sustain community collaboratives that drive long-term policy, system, and environmental changes that prevent and reduce childhood obesity.
The Walkamolie Project at East Salem Elementary School was recently awarded an HCAT mini-grant, which has provided support for their afterschool health education group. According to the East Salem Elementary School Nurse and Program Coordinator, Angela Schuyler-Meadows “The funding has enabled us to expand access to healthy snacks and equipment to promote nutrition and physical activity education, encouraging students to build lifelong habits for healthier living. We are so thankful for the support!”
“West End Center is excited to be partnering with Rooted Kitchen Collective to provide parent and teen educational sessions regarding healthy and easy food prep as well as a session focusing on career exploration in the food world for our teens” says Karen Pillis, Executive Director of the West End Center for Youth. “Our goals include equipping our teens with a few basic kitchen skills to be able to prepare healthy food at home and also to allow them to gain knowledge for future career possibilities.”
Roanoke Healthy Hearts is also a recipient of HCAT funding to support public transportation access for participating families in Northwest Roanoke. According to Amazetta Anderson, Healthy Hearts Community Advocate, “The bus passes make it possible for people to access Melrose Plaza, a hub of healing and empowerment. Beyond food access, the Plaza offers adult education through the library, personal development programs, and financial services. Without transportation, many couldn’t reach these resources—but with bus passes, they can.”
Since 2022, the RFN has provided almost $75,000 in mini-grants to partner organizations implementing on-the-ground food system initiatives in the Roanoke region, including school and community gardens, workforce development, and trauma-informed nutrition education.
The RFN was formed to build community and capacity between diverse partners working to address food systems change in the Roanoke region. The goals of this partnership are to collectively learn about and address the needs of sustainable farm development, local food distribution, equitable food access, as well as the potential of local food to nourish economic growth.
About the Roanoke Foodshed Network:
About the Roanoke Foodshed Network: The Roanoke Foodshed Network (RFN) was formed in 2020 as a way to build community and capacity between diverse partners working to address food systems change in the Roanoke region. The goals of this network have grown out of a decade of conversations with farmers, planners, and local food advocates. The RFN aspires to develop a comprehensive approach to creating a more equitable and resilient food and farming system that produces health and abundance in the Roanoke region. The Roanoke-based nonprofit Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP) is a fiscal sponsor for the network. Other leading network partners include Carilion Clinic, Feeding Southwest Virginia, the Virginia Association for Biological Farming, the Virginia Tech Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation, Roanoke City Economic Development, and Singing Spring Farm.
About Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP):
Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP) is a Roanoke-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Founded in 2009, LEAP strives to nurture an equitable food and farming system that prioritizes health and abundance. LEAP programs include two farmers markets, a mobile market, an online marketplace, a farm share, a food hub, a commercial kitchen, community gardens, and robust nutrition incentive programs. LEAP also works with community partners from across the region on initiatives that promote farm to community and food system development. LEAP is the lead organization for Virginia Fresh Match, a statewide network of markets and retail outlets that make fruits and vegetables more affordable for SNAP participants. Learn more about LEAP at: www.leapforlocalfood.org.
About Feeding Southwest Virginia:
Feeding Southwest Virginia is a partner of Feeding America. For the last four decades, the Food Bank’s ultimate mission has been to nourish neighbors, engage community partners, and develop solutions to address food insecurity. The primary function of the Food Bank is to secure and distribute large quantities of food for the 1 in 7 food insecure neighbors. Over $34.2 million worth of food and grocery-related products are channeled annually through close to 400 food pantries and meal programs throughout our 26-county and nine-city service region. Visit feedingswva.org for more information.
About Carilion Clinic:
Carilion Clinic is a not-for-profit health care organization serving more than one million people in Virginia’s Blue Ridge and Southwest Virginia regions. Headquartered in Roanoke, Carilion’s comprehensive hospital network, primary and specialty physician practices, and other complementary services deliver high-quality, patient-centered care close to home. Carilion’s enduring commitment to the health of our communities has advanced over the last decade but remains grounded in providing care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Beginning with the transformation to the clinic model of a physician-led, integrated health care system, Carilion has developed robust academic partnerships with the creation of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and Radford University Carilion’s school for allied health sciences. Carilion advances care through education and research elements and continues to rely on the generous support of donors to advance its mission to improve the health of the communities we serve. Learn more at CarilionClinic.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.