Transforming Systems. Cultivating Joy. Nourishing Neighborhoods.
What happened: H.R.1 cut SNAP benefits for 37,000 people in St. Louis City and County and reduced WIC eligibility, creating an immediate food security crisis.1
Why it matters: Families who relied on these benefits for groceries now face hunger and impossible choices between food and other necessities.
Since 2021, our 26-member collaborative has built the infrastructure to respond:
Empowered Thriving Communities (ETC) is a CDC-funded collaborative led by the St. Louis Integrated Health Network and Washington University in St. Louis.
We support Black residents in the St. Louis Promise Zone through community-led solutions that strengthen food access, create safe spaces for activity, and connect residents to vital care.
Our approach: Building power, sharing resources, and transforming systems through collective action.
The American Public Health Association selected ETC as a community model for advancing health equity through interconnected medical, social, and environmental solutions.2
Justice and equity catalyst with 10+ years advancing systems change through high-impact facilitation, community convening, and project implementation.
Her contributions frame equity for the field of public health and community wellbeing and help support systemic and individual transformations.
Yogi, author, and urban gardener; public health and food systems advocate. Co-Founder and Executive Director of Fit and Food Connection, and social justice consultant.
City of St. Louis Department of Health
Food Justice Advocate
Fit & Food Connection
Together, we're building a powerful network of community organizations, health providers, and grassroots leaders united in our commitment to food justice and health equity in St. Louis.
NACDD awarded funding to implement the BRIC program in Missouri, to service residents in STL City + County
BRIC members mobilized through several community facing events, opportunities, and new projects.
CDC awarded funding to implement the REACH grant in Missouri, to service residents in STL City + County (St. Louis Promise Zone)
Collaborative changed name from BRIC to ETC and created mission statement
APHA Video and established strategic pillars:
1. Community Engagement & Education
2. Policy & Advocacy, and
3. Internal Capacity Building
Through partnership and collaboration, the St. Louis Integrated Health Network is a healthcare intermediary building capacity across sectors to advance health equity and improve wellbeing by increasing access to health and social services, with an emphasis on communities that have been historically excluded.
Your donation powers grassroots food justice in the Promise Zone.
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