Fresh Food For All
GCT believes that everyone deserves access to fresh fruit and vegetables, regardless of their income or where they live. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Food equality and improved health are the mission of Fresh Food for All.
The program is a partnership with First Fruits Farm and the Baltimore City Mayor's Office. GCT delivers weekly truckloads of fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income neighborhoods.
The program also offers groups of Baltimore City residents in underserved areas the opportunity to experience a farm and to harvest crops. Participants pick produce to take home and are given healthy recipes and encouraged to cook and eat family meals together.
Baltimore is an area greatly in need of this program. A report by Johns Hopkins and the Baltimore Food Policy Initiative found that one in four of the city’s residents live in food deserts, with limited access to healthy foods.
"Neighborhoods with food deserts have higher rates of diseases linked to unhealthy diets, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Overall mortality rates are also higher in these areas. While not the only factor impacting these outcomes, food deserts can be a significant contributor," researchers said.
The report found that children are disproportionately affected, with 30 percent of Baltimore City’s school-aged children living in food deserts.
A food desert is defined as an area where residents must travel more than one-quarter of a mile to reach a supermarket; the median household income is at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level; over 30 percent of households lack access to a vehicle; and the supply of healthy food is low.
News coverage of First Fruit Farms