Increasing Access to Healthy Food. Policy and Advocacy Approaches to Addressing the Obesity Epidemic Miriam Manon, The Food Trust Kim Milbrath, MPH Voices for Healthy Kids & The American Heart Association

The Food Trust: Working to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious foods

Presenter Disclosures (1)The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months: Miriam Manon No Disclosures

Pennsylvania Success Story 88 projects statewide 5,000 Jobs 400,000 people with improved food access $190 million in total project investment Healthy Food Financing: Improves Health, Creates Jobs Fresh Grocer opens at Progress Plaza in North Philadelphia, December 2009

Healthy Food Financing: The Basics Business financing programs that provide grants and loans for new and expanded grocery retailers in underserved communities Administered by a variety of community development entities, especially CDFIs Funded with federal, state, local, and philanthropic dollars

New Jersey Healthy Corner Store Initiative Building a Statewide Healthy Corner Store Network  120+ Participating stores in 19 NJ cities  Resources for local partners including training workshops, marketing materials, and mini-grants  Innovative programming such as “Heart Bucks” and in-store health screenings Convening Leaders to Develop Recommendations  New Jersey Healthy Corner Store Task Force Leveraging Partnerships  NJ Department of Health/ WIC Partnership  Voices for Healthy Kids  Campbell Healthy Communities

Looking Ahead Legislation introduced in NJ legislature NJ Healthy Corner Store Task Force to issue report with 6 strategic recommendations

Voices for Healthy Kids A collaboration between the American Heart Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation working to engage, organize and mobilize people to improve the health of their communities and reverse the childhood obesity epidemic.

Presenter Disclosures (1)The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months: Kim Milbrath No Disclosures

A Collaborative Response

Voices for Healthy Kids Food Access Campaigns North Carolina: – NC Alliance For Health – HFFI/CS Alabama: – Voices for Alabama’s Children – HFFI Texas: – American Heart Association, TX Affiliate – HFFI Louisiana: – Market Umbrella – HFFI Florida: – American Heart Association, FL Affiliate – HFFI Oklahoma City, OK: – American Heart Association, OK Affiliate – HFFI Kansas City, MO – KC Healthy Kids – HFFI Dallas, TX: – Children at Risk, Dallas – HFFI Virginia: – American Heart Association, VA Affiliate – HFFI Austin, TX: – American Heart Association, Austin – CS

Voices for Healthy Kids Food Access Campaigns Massachusetts: – MA Public Health Association – HFFI Michigan: – American Heart Association, MI Affiliate – HFFI Ohio: – American Heart Association, OH Affiliate – HFFI Minnesota: – American Heart Association, MN Affiliate – HFFI New York: – American Heart Association, NY Affiliate – HFFI New Jersey: – American Heart Association, NJ Affiliate – CS Pennsylvania: – The Food Trust – HFFI

Lessons Learned: Partners & Messages Partners Make sure you have the right voices at the table. – Grocers and business leaders – Community development leaders – Impacted people – Food and health movement leaders; and – Local level electeds whose towns could benefit Set clear expectations so everybody understands the goal and how you will get there. Recognize that contributions will vary and that’s ok. Messages Create a strong support message by... DON’T use “food desert,” talk around it Include children + reduce chronic diseases + investment in community A fact or a map helps sell message Don’t be afraid to attach price tag, but avoid government spending

The “Bagert Rules” for HFFI advocacy in states that fry their vegetables… – #1 The money IS there. – #2 There are five people in your state who can put funding into the budget, no questions asked. The campaign is to get one of those five people on your side. – #3: Play the outside game: Maintain enough distance from your legislative champions to push them beyond what they will want to do. – #4: Play the inside game: Get into the package deal. – #5: Your most valuable resource is people with political judgment. Build a culture to cultivate that.

Last but not least… Write a campaign plan and follow it! Identification of your primary and secondary targets. o Who can give you what you want? How will coordination of non-lobbying and lobbying activities happen? What media advocacy strategies will you utilize? What grassroots organizing strategies will you utilize? How will you engage grasstops influencers?

Voices for Healthy Kids and The Food Trust Resources Toolkits o Food Access: What’s in Store for us? Raise your voice: Preventobesity.netPreventobesity.net Healthy Food Access Portal:

Q and A? Miriam Manon Senior Associate The Food Trust Kim Milbrath, MPH Southern Regional Campaign Manager Voices for Healthy Kids and AHA