Some Philadelphia communities lack easy access to fresh and affordable produce. Corner convenience stores and fast food restaurants — which sell processed foods high in sodium and fat — far outnumber grocery stores. RaSean Booker, of HRIS, is trying to change that scenario in a West Philadelphia community, one city block at a time.
Working with West Philly Produce, a small retailer that sells produce at affordable prices, Booker volunteered for a program that delivers fresh ingredients for nutritious meals to a person’s house, every week. “Families have crazy schedules — parents work two jobs, they have 3 to 4 kids — it’s difficult to find time to get to a store or even plan a meal,” she said. “It’s easier to just go to a nearby fast food place.”
Initially focusing on one block along 47th Street, “I put a survey on people’s doorsteps asking about their lifestyles [i.e., number of kids, jobs, etc.] and if they’d be interested in participating,” she said, “as well as what they’d like to see on the menu.” Five families signed up.
Now, each week, a box arrives on their doorsteps containing enough pre-portioned ingredients for three vegetarian meals (“There are more safety issues with meat.”) as well as the recipes. “I subscribe to a vegetarian magazine to find good recipes and then type them up,” she said. “We deliver within two days of receiving the order.”
In addition to West Philly Produce, Booker has also partnered with area farmers. This local sourcing has kept prices affordable for the participants. “It costs families $20 a week for a box,” she said. Also helping to keep costs down — and producing extra income for members of the community — is delivery via bikes. With her Penn Medicine CAREs grant, she plans to purchase more bikes, as well as helmets and straps to hold the box on the bike, and ice packs to keep the food cold.
Booker has other ideas to help promote healthy eating habits. She helped transform a vacant lot in the Cobbs Creek area into a garden and has given garden tours, teaching students — ranging from elementary school to college — how to grow and care for a garden. “There are so many empty lots,” she said. “If we can turn those into gardens, that not only leads to healthy eating, but can also help ensure safety in the neighborhood.”