Healthy Food, Healthy Franklin County Funding Awards Announced

Sep 6, 2022

Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Approves Funding to Increase Healthy Food Access in Franklin County

The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation (OHF) recently approved awards totaling over $887,000 as part of the Healthy Food, Healthy Franklin County funding opportunity. Funding was awarded through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to four organizations to catalyze change in neighborhoods where residents lack access to healthy, affordable food and experience higher rates of chronic disease and other poor health outcomes.

“Research over the last two decades has demonstrated a correlation between healthy food and improved health. Increased access to local food is associated with decreased risk of diet-related chronic disease,” said Susan Beaudry, vice president of the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations. “In keeping with our mission of improving health and quality of life and recognizing the prevalence of both food insecurity and lack of access to healthy food in underserved communities, OHF adopted a dual strategy of building capacity and supporting innovation within the emergency food system while investing in local efforts to increase access, affordability and consumption of healthy foods.”

Through the Healthy Food, Healthy Franklin County RFP, OHF approved funding awards to:
  • Franklinton Farms: $140,000 to provide nutrition education programs, increase local food production, expand distribution and consumption among low-income residents of Franklinton and build capacity for food production and distribution in other low-income neighborhoods in Franklin County.
  • Mid-Ohio Food Collective: $275,000 to increase production and distribution of local, healthy food in the Hilltop neighborhood and other low-income communities and to create economic opportunities through sustainable, agricultural career pathways for Franklin County residents.
  • Partners Achieving Community Transformation (PACT): $168,050 to support We Grow: NES, a collaborative effort including Broad Street Presbyterian Church, Bronzeville Growers Market/AgriAcademy (Maroon Arts Group) and Growing and Growth Collective to provide agricultural education and training and increase local, healthy food production and consumption to improve community health, as part of a broad economic revitalization effort on the Near East Side of Columbus.
  • Produce Perks Midwest, Inc.: $304,250 to replicate an evidence-based produce prescription program serving low-income individuals with chronic diseases and expand nutrition-based programming for vulnerable, pregnant women in Franklin County.