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Stephanie M.
Grocery prices have gone up, making it harder for some people to afford healthy food. Dr. Leeja Carter started the Coalition for Food and Health Equity to help. She puts special fridges in low-income areas with healthy food for people to take for free. The fridges are stocked with items from minority-owned businesses. Dr. Carter also has programs to help kids and families eat better and get the care they need. She wants to expand her work to more cities to help more people. If you want to learn more about Dr. Carter's work or help with her efforts in Baltimore, you can visit the Coalition for Food and Health Equity website or email info@coalitionequity.org.
It is no secret that grocery prices have risen substantially. Individuals and families are feeling the economic pinch at cash registers.
“The all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of economy-wide inflation, increased 0.4 percent from March 2024 to April 2024 and was up 3.4 percent from April 2023. The CPI for all food increased 0.2 percent from March 2024 to April 2024, and food prices were 2.2 percent higher than in April 2023,” the USDA’s Economic Research Service recently reported.
Canned food can commonly contain an abundance of preservatives, sugars, sodium, and fewer vitamins. Cheaper meat cuts are often budget-friendly. Lean meats and healthy and perishable foods are typically more expensive. While everyone does not have access to nutritious food daily, nonprofit grocery stores in America’s food deserts and community-based nonprofits are filling in the gaps for individuals and families who struggle to reduce grocery bill amounts.
Dr. Leeja Carter, a Fulbright Scholar, and expert on inclusive and equity-focused practice in health and wellness, walked away from a 15-year career as a professor to become CEO and founder of her Coalition for Food and Health Equity (CFHE). The Ujamaa Cafe and Ujamaa Well programs include revolutionary food and wellness innovation and access programs that address food and health access; affordability; social service needs; and local small business economic growth. Additionally, Dr. Carter addresses food quality through her current work.
“We have several programs, including our Ujamaa Cafe fridge program, where tech-enabled fridges are placed within NJEDA [New Jersey Economic Development Authority] designated food deserts and low-to-moderate income communities, along with other target points that allow us to target areas for community reinvestment. The fridges provide healthy food options to the community to support nutrition, education, and neighborhood reinvestment,” said Dr. Carter. “This work started in 2020 due to the pandemic and seeking to support residents within Hudson County, New Jersey, who were experiencing food insecurity.”
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Dr. Leeja Carter
Fridge locations include UPENN Abramson Cancer Center, Marion P. Thomas Charter School, St. Luke CDC Food & Clothing Pantry, nonprofits, afterschool programs, and various community service organizations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Another unique aspect of Dr. Carter’s approach to addressing food insecurity is that fridges allow Coalition Equity to curate community preferences which ensures an increase in healthful behaviors.
“Also, the fridge is stocked with healthy options from local operators. Each week, the fridge is curated based on user transactions and weekly metrics,” said Dr. Carter.
Free, freshly prepared, stocked foods include overnight oats; chocolate oat milk; mixed berry parfait; chipotle egg and cheese sandwiches; Arabic salad; chicken and shrimp burritos; and much more. Dr. Carter’s fridge concept created a more convenient and accessible option to disrupt the lack of affordable access to fresh, healthy food options. She noted that Coalition Equity’s Ujamaa Cafe’s trained restockers restock the fridges weekly. Fridges are stocked with items from minority-owned food entrepreneurs and operators that have undergone CFHE’s rigorous vetting process.
“There is no maximum or limit for food that people can take. What we find is that folks self-moderate and are good about sharing like any fridge. However, we place them where there is need and know by week’s end the fridge will be empty,” said Dr. Carter. “Also, our fridges are de-surveilled, meaning we do not monitor the identity of the person taking the food, just the food taken in order to curate the fridge.”
Additionally, CFHE provides Eating Better Together, a program for children and families to assist children in improving oral hygiene, nutrition, and health literacy through exposure to healthy meals, nutrition education, and health resources; Rapid Response, a hunger relief program that enrolls individuals into a six to eight-week food assistance and care support program to address hunger and additional living and health needs; and Ujamaa Well, an integrated wellness program for Black women to assist women in addressing their mind, body, and spirit through a decolonized wellness approach.
Nonprofits and programs such as CFHE could help individuals in cities like Baltimore, or in various low-income areas. Although Ujamaa Cafe fridges can be found in four cities, Dr. Carter’s goal is to expand.
“Through Ujamaa, we are reimagining how we can work with and in the community and reinvest through multiple ways to improve food security and neighborhood development and growth. Certainly, we are always looking for neighborhoods to expand to, yet at The Coalition we are always open to exploring new ideas and opportunities for addressing so many needs and areas throughout the U.S.,” said Dr. Carter.
Visit https://www.coalitionequity.org/about-us to learn more about Dr. Carter’s work. For additional questions, or to inquire about expansion efforts in the Baltimore area, please email info@coalitionequity.org.