Hurricane Katrina was a recent memory when food scarcity became a frightening reality for many residents who already lacked easy access to healthy foods before the disaster. A food mapping effort started out as a short-term response to residents' need to get access to soup kitchens, grocery stores, or food pantries and now has become a tool for understanding

In Woodbury County, policies to support local, organic foods have helped to tip the scales in support of more sustainable practices that have potential benefits not only for economic vitality, but also for the health of the community.

Cultivating fruits and vegetables in an urban garden and on a suburban farm leased from the city at minimal cost, youth work with The Food Project and participate in community-supported agriculture that brings healthy produce to low-income residents throughout Boston.