Ted O’Dell Campaign Manager Michigan Healthy Food Financing Campaign BACKGROUND Life Long Michigan Resident Irish & Italian descent, raised in the Catholic faith American University, D.C. Served 12 years as Twp. official, past elected Supervisor and a City Manager Certified Labor Relations Negotiator & Certified Social Security Disability Advocate Worked 11 years, Michigan House and Senate 7 years with Senate Appropriations Broke U.S. President Gerald Ford’s luggage

Voices for Healthy Kids: Reversing the Childhood Obesity Epidemic A collaborative effort between the American Heart Association & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Our Changing World

What do we know? Nearly 29.7 million Americans live in communities with limited or no supermarket access. 20 percent of U.S. households that are struggling to feed healthy foods to their families. People without grocery stores are more likely to be obese. 1 in 3 kids and teens are overweight. Grocers that stock healthy foods leverage better local health, economic development, and job creation. A healthy food financing campaign in Pennsylvania resulted in 88 new or expanded grocery stores, created 5,000 jobs, and increased healthy food access for nearly 500,000 people. A program created in 2012 in New Orleans has served 28,600 people and added/protected 75 jobs.

A Collaborative Response

VFHK Policy Priorities Smart School Foods Improve the nutritional quality of snack foods and beverages in schools. Healthy Drinks Increase accessibility, availability, and affordability of healthy beverages by increasing access to water in school and community environments. Increase costs of sugar sweetened beverages through the passage of excise taxes. Food Access Increase access to affordable foods in Corner Stores & Grocery Stores *Population Approaches to Improve Diet, Physical Activity, and Smoking Habits. A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association

VFHK Policy Priorities Marketing Matters Develop guidelines for serving more nutritious foods in restaurants. Replace unhealthy food promotion & marketing in schools with healthy food promotion & marketing. Active Places Pass and implement Shared Use legislation which clarifies liability laws so schools can open playgrounds and gyms to the community. Support policies which fund Safe Routes to School programs and ensure federal dollars are effectively used. Promote “Complete Streets” initiatives that integrate bike and pedestrian paths into road-planning and construction. Active Kids Out of School Establish mandatory physical activity standards in before and after school programs.

Team of Experts Food Access The Food Trust Marketing Matters Berkeley Media Studies Group Active Places Safe Routes to School National Partnership Smart School Foods The Pew Charitable Trusts Active Kids Out of School YMCA of the USA Healthy Drinks Yale Rudd Center Food Policy & Obesity

Michigan’s Opportunity WIN for HEALTH, WIN for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WIN for AGRICULTURE WIN and for our KIDS!

Healthy Food Financing Slide 11

$10 million investment and a legislative ask $5 million to increase the number of grocery retailers that offer healthy food in under-served communities (Detroit and out-state). $1 million to create a Healthy Corner Store initiative. $4 million focused on other areas of Healthy Food Access such as: – Healthy Food Access, production, aggregation, distribution, food banks, gleaning and fresh food storage issues.

Low Supermarket Sales, Low Income and Areas of Greatest Need Please see handout materials and refer to Map #4 and Map #6

Mapping Points of reference against the GIS Methodology Maps, numbers one thru six.

What about Detroit? Over 500,000 people in Detroit have limited access to grocery stores but, “want to improve their diets and seek convenient access to fresh, affordable, high-quality food to prepare healthy meals at home.” (Source: Fair Food Network) Corner Store Project

Time Line Last six months have met with… Governor’s Budget Director Michigan Department of Community Health Department of Agriculture (now MDARD) Appropriate Division Chiefs within departments Some information share with a few legislators, last year, who were likely to be re-elected in November 2014 or may serve as a strategic committee chair in 2015.

Next steps January 20 th, Governor’s State of the State February, Governor’s Budget Address Now – February, Identify Legislative Sponsors & Champions – Meet with legislators Build Grassroots support Community Meetings MSU Extension Prevent Obesity.org Press Conference and Media role out (March)

What can you do? Continue educating yourself Talk with and help educate… – Friends – Neighbors – Co-workers – Legislators Join for free online, PreventObesity.net … Visit… HealthyFoodMi.heart.org

Ted O’Dell Campaign Manager Michigan Healthy Food Financing Campaign Contact Information American Heart Association 2140 University Park Drive Suite #210 Okemos, MI Office: (517) , Ext Cell/Text: (248) healthyfoodmi.heart.org

Sources for this presentation American Heart Association The Food Trust Voices for Healthy Kids Trade Dimensions Retail Database, 2014 U.S. Census, ACS Michigan Department of Community Health