Developed by the Food Co-op Initiative, this guide aims to provide organizers, board members, and development centers with an interactive introduction to starting a food co-op, including an overview of what is important in all stages of your co-op’s development

Produced by Share our Strengths: Cooking Matters, this report, It’s Dinnertime: A Report on Low-Income Families’ Efforts to Plan, Shop for and Cook Healthy Meals, provides an overview of low-income families' efforts to plan, shop for and cook healthy meals.

With millions in public and private investments on the horizon, Buffalo, New York, is poised for resurgence. But if new investments do not address persistent racial and economic inequities, the city’s long-term economic future is at risk. This health equity and inclusive growth profile offers leaders data and strategies to undergird policy solutions to advance health equity, inclusive growth, and a culture of health. They were developed by PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) at USC, in partnership with Open Buffalo, and with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Read the policy brief and the full profile.

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Honor Capital, a veteran-owned business with a dual mission to employ returning veterans and to alleviate food desert communities, partners with others dedicated to improving the health and wellness of communities by building and operating Save-A-Lot grocery stores. 

This issue of the Grocery Entrepreneur discusses their work and plans to open and operate 10 grocery stores under the Save-A-Lot banner across Oklahoma food deserts. Together these stores, located in both urban and rural areas, will improve access for nearly 40,000 low-income households annually and create more than 270 permanent jobs.

Grand Rapids is an increasingly diverse city. While it has experienced some overall population loss over the last decade, communities of color have significantly grown – and their ability to participate and thrive is central to the city’s success. This profile shows how equitable growth is the path to sustained economic prosperity in the region. It was developed with the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to assist local community groups, elected officials, planners, business leaders, funders, and others working to build a stronger and more equitable city. Read the full profile and see the press release.

Long Island – defined as Nassau and Suffolk counties – is rapidly diversifying. Today, one in three Long Island residents is a person of color – up from roughly one in 10 residents in 1980. Black Long Islanders, who were largely excluded from the massive federally subsidized suburban development that characterizes Long Island, continue to face barriers to full social, economic, and political inclusion. This profile shows how persistent segregation and racial disparities in wealth, housing, educational attainment and many other areas is costing Long Island billions of dollars in potential economic growth each year. The accompanying policy brief provides a series of recommendations designed to close the racial wealth divide which would result in a major boost to Long Island’s economy. It was produced by PolicyLink and PERE, with lead support from Citi Community Development and funding from Long Island Community Foundation and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Read the policy brief and profile, and see the press release.

Media: Long Island is Missing More than $24 Billion (Next City), Report: Racial Inequities Cost LI’s Economy Billions Each Year (Newsday), Racial Equity Needed for LI’s Growth, Urban League Leader Says (Newsday)

The Nojaim Brothers Supermarket, Syracuse’s only independently owned grocery store, and a community hub — faced possible closure in 2010 due to dated infrastructure and decades of population and economic decline. In addition to renovating his store, Paul Nojaim is working to help revitalize the Near Westside neighborhood. Through his leadership, the store is collaborating with St. Joseph’s Hospital, Syracuse University, and the Onondaga County Department of Health on several initiatives.

New Orleans’ incredible diversity can be a tremendous economic asset if people of color are fully included as workers, entrepreneurs, and innovators. However, while the city’s economy is showing signs of resurgence after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, rising inequality, stagnant wages, and persistent racial inequities place its long-term economic future at risk. This equity profile was developed with the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to support local community groups, elected officials, planners, business leaders, funders, and others working to build a stronger and more equitable city. Read the profile.

Media: Mayor Mitch Landrieu Unveils 'Equity Strategy' in Bid for More Just Government (The New Orleans Advocate) 

Developed by the CDC, this document aims to assist practitioners with addressing disparities in chronic disease health outcomes. It offers lessons learned from practitioners on the front lines of local, state, and tribal organizations that are working to promote health and prevent chronic disease health disparities.