Cleveland is a national leader in food systems innovation from our robust urban agriculture system to some of the best restaurants in the country. Yet, gaps remain in our approach. Today, nearly two out of three Clevelanders live in neighborhoods with limited access to full-service supermarkets and experience extensive inequities in economic opportunities and health status.
The Modeling the Future of Food in Your Neighborhood Study (foodNEST 2.0) will host a meeting of community leaders Wednesday, May 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ariel International Center (1163 E. 40th St.). foodNEST 2.0 works to develop strategies that can help guide decision making around efforts to make food systems in the city of Cleveland more equitable. This will require out-of-the-box thinking to identify solutions that advance economic opportunity, food security and nutrition equity and a collective sense of where the community is going and how to get there.
About the meeting
The goal of this meeting is to develop a vision for the community’s food future with a realistic sense of roadblocks and opportunities. foodNEST 2.0 will use this information to identify novel solutions that can be tested and applied in the future in areas of Cleveland most burdened by our current food system dynamics.
All are welcome to the table to deliberate and plan for food opportunities for the future. The event is free and open to the public.
Scholarships will be available to support 15 Community Fellows interested in serving as a facilitator at the meeting. These are open to residents living in the following neighborhoods in Cleveland: Buckeye-Shaker, Central, Hough, and St. Clair Superior. More information about the Community Fellows program can be found on the Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health website.