LIVE
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2016 Grants Challenge

Helping L.A. Live Healthier One Taco at a Time!

Idea by Dear Mama

Dear Mama will revolutionize the eating habits of our community through mobilizing plant-based food, by empowering and engaging with the community to create a deep impact with Angelenos.

Please describe your project proposal.

Dear Mama will use the 100,000 grant to mobilize and revolutionize healthy food throughout the Los Angeles county. We have a three-part initiative that will allow us to impact and improve the health of millions of Angelenos. We will use our mobile food trucks to travel throughout the Los Angeles county and deliver healthy plant-based food options. Through engagement of classes and workshops will be educated and empower families and community members to charge of their eating habits.

Which of the LIVE metrics will your proposal impact?​

Access to healthy food

Housing affordability

Exposure to air toxins

Self-sufficiency

Obesity

Local water

Resilient communities

Residents receiving coordinated healthcare services

Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences

Homelessness

Mental illness

Walk/bike/transit score

In what areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?

Central LA

East LA

San Gabriel Valley

San Fernando Valley

South LA

Westside

South Bay

Gateway Cities

Antelope Valley

County of Los Angeles

City of Los Angeles

LAUSD

Describe in greater detail how your proposal will make LA the best place to LIVE?

Dear Mama is focused on expanding access to healthy food the introducing affordable fresh plant-based foods to the 90 percent of Los Angeles county residents that don't have access to it. By introducing a healthier plant-based food option to communities through our program, Boyle Heights and L.A. County residents will overcome obesity. We will be serving these communities, not only through food products, but also empowering and educating them through community-based events. We also strive to make the planet a better home for everyone by reducing the exposure to air toxins starting with our food trucks that will be hybrid to reduce our carbon footprint. We will teach Angelenos how to be self-sufficient by educating them in ways to cultivate their own land to bring families plant-based food. This will allow them to lower their food cost allowing families to be more self sufficient. Our program will sub-contract local water vendors in order to promote and sell local water and empower L.A. County to address the drought. Our food also uses less water to produce in comparison to animal-based foods saving water and the planet.

We collaborate with organizations, like L.A. Burrito Project, to feed the homeless as well as the PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) center to help homeless individuals who are moving forward in the next step of their lives. Along with Skid Row Coffee, we provide food for charity events while bringing light to plant based nutrition that is relatable to the Mexican community. In collaboration with Green's Center for Plant Based Nutrition and Gluten Free Education, we educate L.A. County residents on cost-effective shopping along with a healthy diet to empower individuals that live in low income housing. We will be coordinating events in the L.A. County that will allow us to educate individuals on preventive health care by educating them on healthier food choices. Mental health starts with your food choices., helping feed these individuals will help their overall health including self-esteem. I grew up in boyle heights , raised by a single mother and throughout my childhood and adolescence i was overweight, the resilience of my community taught me how to overcome adversity and hardship.

By implementing our three part initiative of purchasing two food trucks, providing education of health living and the empowerment through engagement we will be able to work with lower economic social status neighborhoods throughout the Los angeles county,where we will be offering our services bilingual. In addition of food and community engagement s we also empower and educate the community by offering workshops and community based events. Along with our workshops and classes we will be present in city and county events to promote healthy eating, self-esteem, mental health that will create bonding between families building stronger families better communities a better Los Angeles.

Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.​

Dear Mama plans to 1) provide healthy food options to la county residents so they can start to eat healthy and LIVE better lives 2) educate and empower la county residents regarding healthy options and how to LIVE a healthier lifestyle

We plan on evaluating our work in the following ways:

- Number of LA County residents participating in our recipe workshops program and number of youth applicants

- Number of recipe workshops we host per month

- Number of major city/county events we participate in per month

- Number of organizations, companies, businesses, and other entities we collaborate with throughout the year

- Number of families that benefit from our healthy food

- Workshop participants will be surveyed before and after workshops to evaluate effectiveness of workshop

- One on one interviews with workshop participants regarding effectiveness of workshops

How can the LA2050 community and other stakeholders help your proposal succeed?

Money

Volunteers

Advisors/board members

Staff

Publicity/awareness

Infrastructure (building/space/vehicles

etc.)

Technical infrastructure (computers

etc.)

Community outreach

Network/relationship support

Quality improvement research