New York City Food and Fitness Partnership's mission is to engage communities in making the healthy choice the easy choice by creating equitable access to healthy, quality, affordable foods and opportunities for active living, starting in the neighborhoods of highest need.

 		 


ABOUT US

History and Purpose
Nine collaboratives across the country were funded by the Kellogg Foundation to engage in a two-year planning process to improve access to healthy food and to increase opportunities for physical activity and active living. The NYC Food and Fitness Partnership emerged out of the urgent need to address the increasing burden of obesity and accompanying comorbidities in our most vulnerable communities.

The Partnership seeks to improve health in three neighborhoods with the highest rates of many health problems: South Bronx, East/Central Harlem and North/Central Brooklyn. Near the end of the planning phase, an action plan aimed at reducing disparities in access to healthy foods and opportunities for safe and convenient physical activity will be submitted along with a proposal for implementation funds. 


For a PDF list of all participating organizations click here.


Membership and Participation
The Partnership is an inclusive, collaborative effort of City Harvest, the Office of the Mayor and the NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene. It is a growing entity comprising more than 300 representatives from over 100 community-based organizations, non-profits, academic institutions, businesses and City and State agencies. "Action Teams" were developed to identify short-term wins, brainstorm on types of projects that can be built into the action plan and inform the development of a policy agenda. Each Action Team focuses on different thematic areas where change and improvements can take place: Adult Settings (e.g., the workplace), Built Environment (e.g., parks, streets), Clinical Settings (e.g., physicians' offices), Food Retail (e.g., bodegas) and Youth Settings (e.g., schools). Each Action Team has a chair who sits on the Steering Committee. There are also opportunities to participate through the Evaluation and Communication Committees.
                     
                 
Commitment to Communities
The Partnership works very closely with The Bronx Campaign for Health, The Harlem Food and Fitness Consortium and The Brooklyn Food and Fitness Taskforce; each has coalition has a seat on the Partnership's steering committee with two votes.  These local coalitions, comprised of representatives from local organizations and community members, provide the Partnership with vital feedback to ensure that the work conducted is relevant to their constituents. 


Cultivating Leaders
Youth from participating organizations through our Youth Settings Action Team and under the guidance of the Youth Leadership Project Associate will come together to provide input through a Youth Advisory board, as well as planning youth led events and activities that promote healthy eating and active living to young people throughout the City. The input and perspective of young people is a priority for the Partnership and, therefore, they will have multiple opportunities to participate planning process.  


Objective
The major objectives of the NYC Food and Fitness Partnership during this two-year planning phase are to:
1.  Convene and maintain a citywide collaborative with diverse membership and includes authentic community and youth representation to explore and address New York City's current food and fitness environment.
2.  Develop a planning process that provides opportunity for engagement and participation by all members.
3.  Produce an action plan by July 2009 aimed at improving the food and fitness environments in the target communities
4.  Evaluate the process of the development and work of the collaborative.


For more information or to get involved, please email Monica Chierici, Partnership Coordinator at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it