| Name of Organization: Everyone Eats Well | |||||
| Proposed Project Title LA Eats Always (L.E.A) | |||||
| Organization Type: ☐ Clinic X Community-based Organization ☐ Educational Institution ☐ Health Department (State/Local) ☐ Hospital ☐ Professional Association ☐ Other For-Profit Organization (please state): ☐ Other Non-Profit Organization (please state): | |||||
| County or counties where services will be provided: Los Angeles County | |||||
| Primary Contact (Name and Title): Jeremy Kang CEO
| Secondary Contact (Name and Title): Anna Gonzalez President | ||||
| Address:
1542 S. Alhambra St Tustin, Ca 91335
Telephone: 914- 543-8784
Email: | Address:
8245 Mason St. Los Angeles, CA 98154
Telephone:
914-832-7643 Email:
annagonzalez@everyoneeatsalways.org | ||||
| Please provide a brief synopsis of your project (3-5 sentences highlighting goals, activities and expected impact of the project):
LA Eats Always’ mission is to decrease food insecurity in households in the Los Angeles County where food insecurity is most prevalent. We aim to achieve our goals and mission by providing participants (families) with meal boxes that will last one month and will include recipes as well as fresh produce and food supplies that are specialized to each family. We also plan to offer and include in our program classes and sessions about managing and preparing meals on a budget. Our program aims to impact the health and well being of the families who are suffering from food insecurity.
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| Previous funding recipient? (Yes/No) If yes, state grant type and year: Yes, community grant, 2016 | Amount Requested $50,000 | ||||
| Number of unduplicated individuals to be served: 643 | Cost per individual served: $77.76
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| Is your agency willing to accept partial funding? (Yes/No) Yes | |||||
| Does this project target adolescents (17 and under)?
| X Yes ☐ No
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| Does this project aim to reduce disparities?
| X Yes ☐ No | ||||
| Race/ethnicity of majority of individuals served: (Enter ONE race/ethnicity in this field, then list the percentage breakdown of all individuals served in box at right) African Americans | Approximate percentage breakdown of race/ethnicity of all individuals served: (Percentages should add up to 100)
80% | ||||
| Please indicate which of the outcomes listed below will be measured and reported on throughout your grant project. ☐ Change in knowledge ☐ Change in behavior ☐ Change in birth outcomes ☐ Change in health indicators X Other (please state): Decrease in food insecurity | |||||
| Does the budget include funds for a consultant or other subcontract? (Yes/No) Yes | Does the budget include funds to conduct an evaluation? (Yes/No) Yes | ||||
| Does this project involve development of health education materials? (Yes/No) If yes, provide a brief description.
Yes, developing health education nutrition materials | |||||
| Signatures are ONLY required on the hard copy (mail) application. Signatures on the hard copy must be original. | |||||
| Executive Director/Manager Signature:
Sign in space above, then enter date below. Date: 11/28/17 | Primary Contact Signature:
Sign in space above, then enter date below. Date:11/28/17 | ||||
Problem Statement
Everyone Eats Always plans to decrease and limit food insecurities in the Los Angeles County. According to the 2011 Los Angeles County Health Survey (LACHS) over half a million households that are living under the 300% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) indicated that they were unable to afford a sufficient amount of food in the previous year (County of Los Angeles Public Health, 2015). Food insecurity is most prevalent and severe in underprivileged households, with 41% of households that are living in poverty experience some form of food insecurity while 19% of households in poverty experience very low food security (County of Los Angeles Public Health, 2015). There has been a 44% increase in food insecurity in the Los Angeles County since 2001 making it a major public health issue that needs to be addressed and solved (County of Los Angeles Public Health, 2015). Food insecurity can have great negative impacts on the health of a given population including, the growth and development of children, are more prone to chronic diseases like heart disease and type 11 diabetes and obesity (“Importance of of Nutrition”, 2017).
Target Population
The target population for this program is Hispanic and African American households living under the 300% FPL in the Los Angeles County. Overall the national average for household food insecurity is about 14%, but for Hispanic households it is 22.4% and 26% for African American households, compared to 11% for white or non-hispanic households (U.S Department of Agriculture, 2016). The dramatic differences between these statistics shows how the issue of food insecurity disproportionately affects Hispanic and African American families than any other race.
Our program called LA Eats Always, will be addressing why and how food insecurities are affecting Hispanic and African American households. We will also be addressing what are the negative impacts of having low food insecurity and very low food insecurity such as health disparities that affect children’s growth and development along with chronic diseases. Our program will address the barriers that affect households to have access to food, especially safe and nutritious foods. Some barriers include but are not limited to, insufficient amount of income to afford nutritious food or meals or the inability to put food on the table for an entire household. LA Eats Today will provide ideas and solutions to help decrease or limit food insecurities in households who are affected by the issue the most.
Project Goal
The primary goal of LA Eats Always is to decrease food insecurities in Hispanic and African American households living in the Los Angeles County. Our program aims to increase the health and well being of families who do not have efficient amount of food to eat everyday. No human being should have to worry about if they are going to eat today or not, when their next meal will be, or parents should not have to worry about not having enough food to provide for their children. Our goal is to limit these issues by providing households with affordable meal boxes, classes or sessions on how to cook family meals on a budget and where to access nutritious and affordable foods.
Project Objectives
- By the end of LA Eats, 95% of the households who participated in the program will have access nutritious affordable foods in their communities and neighborhoods.
- Within 5 years of LA Eats being implemented, there will be a 15% decrease in food insecurities in Hispanic and African American households living in the Los Angeles County.
- Within 10 years of LA Eats being implemented, there will be a 20% decrease in food insecurities in Hispanic and African American households living in the Los Angeles County.
Project Activities
Everyone Eats will plan LA Eats that will take 1 year to develop and implement and will continue to carry on the basis of positive feedback and evaluations along with sufficient funds available.
Getting Started
January-March 2018:
The first three months will consist of needs assessments being written and conducted in communities with high food insecurity rates in the Los Angeles County. Participants must meet certain criteria based on the needs assessment questionnaire in order to be qualified for the program. Questions include but are not limited to, What is your household size? “ In the last 6 months, did you or any family member skip a meal because there was not enough money to buy food? In the last 6 months did you or a family member eat less food because there was not enough for everyone? In the last 6 months did you have to worry about putting food on the table to feed each family member?” If participants answered yes to 50% or more of the questions, they will be considered qualified for the program. Minkler addresses the importance of needs assessments, which is to “measure, describe, and understand community lifestyle” (2012). Before we plan and implement our program we must first understand the lifestyle of these households and how this issue is impacting their lives.
Collaborations and Partnerships
- Identify collaborations with profit or nonprofit organizations
- Seek out and identify potential partners
April-May 2018
Train and hire staff
- Staff will consist of public health program planners and nutritionist
Implementation
June 2018
LA Eats Today will be implemented in communities and neighborhoods in the Los Angeles County where the highest rates of food insecurity are most prevalent. Programs will be set up in various sites right in the communities so members can have easy access to our program. LA Eats Today will work in collaboration with local schools and community centers so we can have our program implemented there where parents and children can also have easy access to our program. LA Eats will be providing affordable meals boxes to households that will last an entire month. Meal boxes will be distributed according to household or family size. Our meal boxes will include: recipes with food supplies and will be customized according to family dietary preference like allergies. These meal boxes will offered at a low and affordable cost to community members who meet the criteria that must be met through our needs assessment survey. Classes or sessions focused on cooking nutritious food on a budget will be conducted twice a week for 3 months from June-August 2018. Our program not only wants to provide families with solutions but also have them be actively engaged in our program through these sessions in order to build healthy communities. Minkler addresses and highlights the importance of collaborative engagement as an approach in building healthier communities (2012).
Evaluation Plan
LA Eats will be measuring the rates of food insecurity in Hispanic and African American household in the Los Angeles County where the prevalence of food insecurity is highest. In order to evaluate our program we will be conducting pre and post test questionnaire and interviews. The pre test will be given to participants who are interested in our program where after we will determine if they are eligible or not. The post test and interviews will be conducted after one year of LA Eats Today being actively implemented. The post test will consist of the same questionnaire given in the beginning of the program. The answers will then be compared and evaluated to see any significant difference in the responses. Interviews will also be conducted where participants can provide their own personal feedback on the program and give their opinions on what they saw was positive and areas where the program can improve.
Expected Outcomes
LA Eats will have a great impact on households who are suffering from high rates of food insecurity by supplying families with affordable meals and providing them with the knowledge and skills to plan and prepare meals at a low cost. LA Eats Today will give families the strength and positivity they were limited to once before. Parents will be able to provide food for their families and not have to worry about any family member going to bed without a full and nutritious meal. LA Eats Today will hope to decrease the rates of food insecurity and provide households with the comfort of having food on the table every day.
Organizational Capacity and Staffing
LA Eats’s mission is to serve the households and families who are under the public health issue of food insecurity in the Los Angeles County and to give them the opportunity to live long fulfilling lives without worries of food insecurity. The key staff that will coordinate and drive our program will consist of nutritionists and public health program planners. The nutritionist will be responsible for carefully planning and organizing the meal boxes that will include recipes and meals according to dietary preference and household size. The nutritionists will also be responsible for conducting the classes that will focus on how to manage and prepare meals on a budget. The public health program planners will be responsible for organizing and coordinating LA Eats Today.
Collaborating Organizations
LA Eats will work in collaboration with many local community organizations along with outside organizations and companies. Our program will work in collaboration with the local middle and high schools that are located in communities or neighborhoods where the public health issue is most prevalent. The middle schools and high schools will be location sites where the classes for managing and preparing meals on a budget will be held. LA Eats Today will also be working with Fresh Eats and Smart & Final where they will be providing our program with fresh produce and food supplies. Everyone Eats, the local middle and high school, and the two grocery stores will work in collaboration to achieve a subordinate goal, which is a goal that is compelling for every group or organization involved in the partnership (Minkler, 2012). The subordinate goal for this specific partnership is to provide families and households with equitable opportunity to live fulfilling lives.
Sustainability
Our plan to remain sustainable after the funding period is attract new funders and investors that would want to work in collaboration with LA Eats. We hope by attracting new funders and investors we can continue on with our program but also expand to other cities across the state where there are communities and households who are also suffering from food insecurities. With new investors and funders are program can also provide more meals and classes and also upgrade to even more healthy and nutritious meals, like incorporating more organic produce and food into the meals it self. Our hopes is to keep LA Eats Today for as long as possible so we can continue on helping and supporting families and communities.
Sharing Results and Outcomes
Our program will be shared to the public through our website that will include our progress and the great impact we will be having on the communities and households involved. Our website will include our program goals and objectives along with progress that will include how many households and families we will be serving. Our program will also be sending out newsletters to potential new partners, funders and investors so they will have an insight on our purpose and our goals.
Visibility
The funder will be visible in many areas of our program LA Eats. For starters, the funder will be visible on our website as our main funder and also the background, history and purpose of the funder will be visible on our website as well. The funder will also be recognized on our meal boxes that are provided to the households and families.
Dear Everyone Eats,
The Los Angeles, Healthy Families Organization (HFO) would like to support and recognize your new program, LA Eats Always. Our foundation is solely based on improving the wellbeing of families across the Los Angeles County. Our mission is to have all families have equitable opportunities to live long and fulfilling lives through quality health care and access to safe and nutritious foods. We provide families in the Los Angeles area affordable and quality health services as well as health classes that focus on the importance of balancing daily physical activity and limiting fast foods and increasing more healthier and nutritious foods in their everyday lives. HFO is well aware of the high rates of food insecurity in the Los Angeles County and our research and study show that as the income of families, mainly Hispanic and African American families in Los Angeles decrease every year, the rates of food insecurity in households increase. Our foundation is honored to support LA Eats Today because of your program goals and mission to decrease food insecurity rates in households that are unable to have the equitable opportunity of having meals every single day. LA Eats Today specifically highlights the disproportionate issue that Hispanic and African American families are more prone to be living in food insecurity households than any other race. We are eager and excited to see how LA Eats Today will improve the lives of the families living in food insecurity and how your program will impact and strengthen Los Angeles as whole.
From our staff we thank you,
Michael Mckinley
Healthy Families Los Angeles, Director of Communications
References and Citations
County of Los Angeles Public Health (2017). Food Insecurity in Los Angeles County.
Retrieved from
https://www.lafoodbank.org/wp-content/uploads/FINAL_LA-Health_FoodInsecurity_Sept
2017.pdf
County of Los Angeles Public Health (2015). Rising Food Insecurity in Los Angeles County.
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/ha/reports/LAHealthBrief2011/FoodInsecurity/Food_Inse
curity_2015Fs.pdf
Importance of Nutrition on Health in America (2017). Feeding America. Retrieved from
Minkler M. (2012). Community Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare.
New Brunswick, New Jersey, and London: Rutgers University Press.
United States Department of Agriculture (2017). Food Security in the U.S. Retrieved from
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/
Vaccaro, J.A., & Huffman F.G. (2017). Sex and Race/Ethnic Disparities in Food Security and
Chronic Diseases in U.S. Older Adults. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 3.
