Recipient Organization
THE GROWHAUS
3840 YORK ST
DENVER,CO 80205
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
?The GrowHaus is enhancing the career pathways of community staff members through a comprehensive fellowship program that provides the training to launch a pilot community-choice market. This project aims to build long-term infrastructure to promote food security and economic resilience in our community.In Denver, Colorado, nearly half (47%) of Latinos with incomes under $50,000 are worried about not being able to afford enough food, compared to 30% of their white counterparts. The GrowHaus, a Latina-led nonprofit organization, proposes advancing community leadership to pioneer a low-cost, community-choice, fresh food market. Emerging leaders of The GrowHaus' food access team will undergo a robust three-month training program to develop their business acumen and leadership skills further so they are equipped to launch the pilot community market. At the market and via the market website, community members can learn about additional community resources, such as the availability of healthy school meals, SNAP, and sign up for community-led classes for youth, adults, and families that build healthy habits and share lessons about the local food system and environmental sustainability. Ultimately, the project will decrease food and nutrition insecurity rates throughout Denver and disrupt food insecurity cycles through wealth-building opportunities.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Goal 1: Community staff members access career pathways that provide wealth-building opportunities.Objective 1: Two community staff members become fellows and feel equipped to create a standard operating procedure for the pilot community market program. After participating in six months of training and professional development, they are confident in their leadership skills to onboard and train food access associates.Measured by anonymous staff surveyObjective 2: Two community staff members become food access associates and report increased confidence as a leader and the ability to carry out core workplace proficiencies after working at The GrowHaus for a year and a half and participating in training and professional development.Measured by an anonymous staff surveyGoal 2: Community members can access affordable fresh produce to meet their household's preferences and nutritional needs.Objective 1: 75% of participants say the pilot community market has made fresh, culturally relevant produce more convenient, accessible, and affordable.Measured by community member surveys and in-person listening sessionsObjective 2: 75% of market participants say that the availability of the client choice community market has increased the amount of fresh produce they purchase for their household.Measured by community member surveys and in-person listening sessionsObjective 3: 75% of participants say that shopping at the client choice community market increases the diversity of fresh foods available to them.Measured by community member surveys and in-person listening sessionsObjective 4: 95% of participants reported feeling comfortable shopping at the client choice community market.Measured by community member surveys and in-person listening sessionsObjective 5: 75% of market participants say that food purchased from the client choice community market comprises over 50% of their households' fresh produceMeasured by community member surveys and in-person listening sessions Objective 6: In year one, 200 community members visit the client choice community market every month, and in year two, 250 community members visit the market every month.Measured by store records/transaction reportsGoal 3: Community members are more curious, connected, and knowledgeable about their local food system and their diets' impact on their overall health.Objective 1: 30% of market participants sign up for a nutrition class with The GrowHaus' Promotora Team.Measured by Promotora class sign-up tracking sheetObjective 2: 50% of market participants report having a greater understanding of the connection between their diet and health outcomes.Measured by community member surveys and in-person listening sessions?
Project Methods
Professional development and leadership coaching for community staff members.Emotional intelligence training for leadersDEIA in the workplace trainingsMighty Markets boot camp for community food access organizationsEnglish literacy classesExcel workshopsLearning excursions to other community marketsMarket Operations StrategiesCreation of multi-lingual standard operating procedures and training modules for staffCommunity members purchase locally sourced produce at 50% of the market value and leverage SNAP and Double Up Food BucksCommunity staff members source food products from local farms and food purveyorsCommunity staff members steward the market's DEIA policy to create an inclusive environment for shoppersNutrition and Local Food System EducationCommunity members connect with The GrowHaus' Promotora team to learn about and enroll in health and wellness programming for youth and adults.Community members visit the market websiteThe GrowHaus is creating an advisory council of stakeholders representative of the diverse communities and perspectives the project benefits, to provide strategic oversight and help The GrowHaus interpret evaluation data. Evaluation activities measure outcomes, including long-term food access, individual wealth building, and connection to the local food system. To gain insight into these areas, The GrowHaus collects qualitative and quantitative information in convenient and non-burdensome ways to understand community members' changes in knowledge, behavior, and attitudes through anonymous surveys and community listening sessions. Additionally, The GrowHaus is using Whole Measures to understand the project's impact on various layers of the local food system at the community level by measuring the project's impact on the following six fields: justice and fairness, strong communities, vibrant farms, healthy people, sustainable ecosystems, and thriving local economies. Throughout the project, The GrowHaus evaluation team also works to understand what aspects of the project planning and implementation process are beneficial and which are not via questions embedded in the community survey and one-on-one interviews.