A diverse group of partners in South Los Angeles recently broke ground on a new Wellness Center and healing garden to serve Los Angeles Unified School District students and the surrounding community.

Local North Carolina-grown fruits and vegetables will be more available, especially to rural communities and low-income residents through new farmers' markets. Teenagers picking up a quick afterschool snack will find healthy items at the convenience store. Children will participate in child-care programs with more physical activity. Mothers will be encouraged and provided the support necessary to breast-feed. Residents will take advantage of new shared-use agreements to exercise at facilities throughout the community.

• In Wood County, 19 new gardens have been created at childcare centers serving 1,800 children. The gardens support early learning about healthy eating and increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables.
• More than 200 second- through fourth-grade students at 10 Wood County elementary schools participated in Fit-tastic, an eight-week afterschool program that helped them develop healthier eating and physical-activity habits.

This community-driven project engaged a variety of age groups in revitalizing Hunting Park to prevent violence and promote healthy food access through a new community garden and farmers market.

This project developed a healthy local food system that addressed underlying inequities that contributed to violence in the underserved Westwood community of Denver.

A community/academic partnership transforms vacant lots into community gardens in urban neighborhoods throughout Denver, creating new opportunities for physical activity, healthy eating and social connections among community residents, survivors of abuse and homeless people.

A powerful coalition of 20 well-respected arts, culture and academic institutions revitalizes a cultural district by improving walkability through major infrastructure projects in Boston, Massachusetts. Although focused in a commercial district, their efforts demonstrate innovative roles for large-scale institutions in improving the built environment. Their work is focused on attracting African American and Latino pedestrians from nearby schools and communities.

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 California, the West Modesto King Kennedy Neighborhood Collaborative has facilitated a partnership between Heifer International and Project UpLift, an after-school mentoring program.

In Colorado, Healthy Lifestyle La Plata (HLLP) has focused on building partnerships with elected officials and engaging community members and partner organizations to implement strategies.