In 2007 the Holyoke Food & Fitness Policy Council (HFFPC), with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, set out to create a more healthy and vibrant Holyoke by developing policies and system changes that improve opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity.

Working intensively in the low-income city of Muskegon, Michigan, this relatively new organization is galvanizing support for a local, sustainable food system and hopes to get a statewide initiative on the 2010 ballot that will declare healthy, sustainable food as a right for every Michigan resident.

This statewide advocacy center works at the nexus of nutrition, hunger, and poverty as it coordinates a network of nutrition activists and professionals to advocate for statewide legislation to improve school nutrition, increase participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, and increase the minimum wage.

In Northeast Iowa, a coalition of diverse stakeholders is creating opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity in a rural, geographically spread out region. As a W. K. Kellogg Foundation Food & Fitness Initiative project site, the Northeast Iowa Coalition is proving that strong collaboration can help achieve a vision of a healthier, more sustainable community.

Food and activity advocates in New York City are collaborating to develop a comprehensive and long-term plan for making changes to food and activity environments, particularly in high-need neighborhoods. Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the New York City Food and Fitness Partnership is increasing access to healthy food in communities and enhancing opportunities for active living.

Thanks to Communities Putting Prevention to Work funding, the Cincinnati Public School system has already implemented new guidelines for foods and beverages sold in school vending machines, a la carte lines and school stores, ensuring that they meet nutrition standards that place limits on calories, certain nutrients and portion size. That's 34,000 children eating healthier, in one city alone.

In Philadelphia, nearly 500 corner stores have been recruited into the Healthy Corner Store Initiative; some local businesses have received resources for equipment upgrades, shelving and refrigeration to sell produce, low-fat dairy products, and lean meats.

The City of Los Angeles passed its Child Nutrition Policy in 2005 requiring recreation centers and other youth-serving city departments and programs to offer more nutritious meals and snacks. With a unanimous vote in favor of the Child Nutrition Policy, LA City Council demonstrated its intention to make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible while curtailing youth access to sugary sodas and salty, high-fat snacks.