Community Leaders

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Community Leaders

Community leaders and similar advocates working on the ground in regions represented by the
task force are vital to the success of the process. These individuals can provide local insight to
ensure that policy recommendations and future retail development are best suited for each specific
community. These leaders have testified at city and state council hearings about roadblocks
residents in their community face when attempting to access healthy and affordable foods.
Financial Sector Representatives
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and similar banking institutions play a key
role administering local, state and national healthy food financing programs. (See “The Role of the

Community Development Financial Institution,” page
29.) Their participation in the policy development
and advocacy process can ensure that policy
recommendations developed by the task force are
financially feasible for state and local governments
and provide viable investment opportunities for
private lenders.

Economic Development Leaders

Economic development leaders, including
representatives from community development
corporations and local chambers of commerce,
have proven to be great partners when it comes to
advocating for greater access to healthy food retail
in underserved communities. These leaders have
a stake in local communities and can speak to the
needs in specific neighborhoods and key obstacles
to improving food access.

Public Health Professionals

Public health professionals, including representatives
from government health agencies and nonprofit
organizations and practicing physicians, can help
frame how the lack of healthy food retail in lowerincome
neighborhoods is a critical problem that
impacts the health and well-being of communities.
These individuals have the knowledge and expertise
to convey a clear message about the health impacts
of nutritious foods and the medical costs tied to
obesity and diet-related diseases.

Children’s Health Advocates

Local children’s advocacy organizations with a
strong commitment to the health and well-being of
children and experience leading statewide advocacy
campaigns can be strong partners in this process.
Voices for Illinois Children, for example, partnered
with The Food Trust to convene the Illinois Food
Marketing Task Force which led to the creation
of the Illinois Fresh Food Fund. Voices for Illinois
Children helped to frame the issue of poor access to
supermarkets in lower-income neighborhoods in the
state as a critical problem facing children’s health.
Some keys to success for this phase include:

Researching existing efforts

Gain an understanding of past and current efforts
in your area around supermarket development and
food access, such as food policy groups and councils.
Existing efforts may provide useful information about

the community’s needs, potential barriers, currently
employed strategies and potential partners.
Tailoring your language to different stakeholders
to achieve a common goal

Throughout the process of building relationships
with stakeholders, customize your message to
your audience in order to cultivate relationships
with individuals from diverse sectors. For example,
emphasizing the data on job creation and private
sector leverage will interest economic development
officials, whereas presenting studies linking
supermarket access with increased fruit and
vegetable consumption will help to engage health
and children’s advocates.

MyTown

Marketplace

Highland Falls, New York

Husband and wife Albert Rodriguez
and Lisa Berrios reopened a vacant
supermarket in the village of Highland
Falls in New York’s mid-Hudson region.
The area is home to a large population
of seniors and families. When the local
supermarket closed in 2010, the mayor
and town provided residents with weekly
bus service to the nearest grocery store,
which was 11 miles away. Financing from
the New York Healthy Food & Healthy
Communities (HFHC) Fund ($300,000
in grant funding) enabled Rodriguez
and Berrios to reopen the store and
make improvements needed for an
expanded produce department. MyTown
Marketplace opened in October 2011
and provides eight full-time and 19
part-time jobs to local residents.

IMPACT

• 16,000 square feet of improved/
expanded healthy food retail space
• 5,300 people served
• 27 jobs created or retained

health

Community Leaders