The Real Food Campaign
The Real Food Project is a collaborative effort of growers, distributors and consumers to ensure the availability of nutrient dense real food. Local farmers will be recruited and a series of lectures and hands-on workshops will assist and support them towards implementing the practices of growing nutrient dense foods.
First Name
Imani
Last Name
Zito
Organization
The Mamalution
Country
Organization Name
The Growing Green Co-op
Organization Website
Organization Phone
860.983.5276
Organization Address
197 New Britain Ave
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Organization Country
United States
Name Your Project
The Real Food Campaign
Country your work focuses on
United States
Describe Your Idea
The Real Food Project is a collaborative effort of growers, distributors and consumers to ensure the availability of nutrient dense real food. Local farmers will be recruited and a series of lectures and hands-on workshops will assist and support them towards implementing the practices of growing nutrient dense foods.
Website URL
What makes your idea unique?
Our idea should not be considered unique, yet, in this day and age, the ideas around nutrition as well as access to real food is still a big mystery to most people. Our project is two fold in that we are not only teaching people what nutrient dense REAL food is, but we are also providing access to it - whether they learn to grow it themselves or support the local farmers in their communities who are growing it for them.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
The Growing Green Co-op is a newly formed co-op designed to link conscious consumers with the local, sustainable businesses offering the products and services they are seeking. We offer classes and programs for youth and adults, weekly free film series and opportunities to practice the art of community that educate, empower and inspire. We provide access to local, organic and real food and information about the importance of eating less packaged, processed diets in order to secure that real food and non-gmo food options remain a basic human right. The Growing Green Co-op (www.growinggreencoop.com) is an already established state-wide delivery service offering local, organic foods to consumers seeking high quality products. The co-op will serve as the voice for the importance of nutrient dense foods, an explanation of what they are as well as provide access to them for consumers. In the process, new standards will be set that will grow consumer demand while yielding higher market value for these high Brix foods. Local growers will be on the cutting edge by providing quality foods with higher levels of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, carbohydrates, trace minerals and antioxidants that not only tastes great but is also pest resistant and has a longer shelf life.
The project entails a series of monthly lectures and hands-on workshops held at The Growing Green Co-op in Hartford over a 3-5 year span. Informational lectures and workshops will be facilitated by Dan Kittredge, long time organic farmer and founder of The Real Food Campaign at both locations starting January 2010. All participating farmers will become active members of The Real Food Campaign (www.RealFoodCampaign.org)that will move the national Real Food Campaign to the forefront.
Problem
The diet of the majority of Americans today consist mostly of GMO, packaged, processed dead foods and as a result the increase in disease, esp. diabetes and cancer - even in our children is increasing daily. In addition, food sourced from around the world does not support a sustainable future. Americans not only need, but want, access to real food options as well as the knowledge on how to change thier diets, the support to do so as well as an opportunity to learn how to grow their own real food. FOOD SECURITY in this country is, above all, one of the topmost issues we face and yet most people remain unaware of where there food comes from and what exactly is in it. We need to educate the American people, take back our food supply and demand real food - even if that means we have to grow it ourselves!
Actions
The Growing Green Co-op offers ongoing classes, hands-on workshops, free films and lectures to educate others about the importance of eating nutrient dense real food, how to get access to it and how to grow it themselves.
The Real Food Campaign is dedicated to educating farmers around the world, as well as consumers, distributors and activists about the necessity of real food, soil remineralization and remediation.
Results
We will organize both experienced local farmers and backyard gardeners to learn the specific methods of growing nutrient dense food through as series of workshops with Dan Kitteredge, founder of The Real Food Campaign and within 3-5 years we will be growing nutrient dense, high BRIX crops in our state as well as role model it around the country.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
We have the space, we have the experts, we have the interest...we need the funds to better market our program so that the word gets out and we have more than just a few growers but rather numbers in the hundreds that can, in turn, teach others and spread the wisdom while creating a network world wide.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
nothing! but an ability to move more quickly to disseminate this important information the better off we will all be! Nutrient dense foods are more nutritious, taste better, produce greater yields, are naturally pest resistant (organic) and have a longer shelf life...it is the way food was intended to be before we depleted all of the soils...it is coming back into balance!
How many people will your project serve annually?
101‐1000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
Less than $50
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
What stage is your project in?
Operating for less than a year
In what country?
United States
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
The Real Food Campaign
How long has this organization been operating?
Less than a year
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
No
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
No
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
No
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Our partnerships are local grassroots connections passionate about food security.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
*dispensing information
*effective marketing startegies to reach larger audiences
*communicating with consumers the importance of nutirent dense (real) foods
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
Our family of eight has owned an organic cafe in Hartford, CT for seven years in an attempt to provide healthy food in an area where there is more poverty than most cities in the U.S.. Over the years we have realized more and more the importance of feeding our children real food, food security concerns as well as a recognition of the need to educate others about this issue as well. A vision of where our world was headed unless we began to make some serious changes came to me and I have spent the last two years compiling data for my forthcoming book The Absence of Soil - focusing primarily on mothers as an attempt for them to feed their children real food. More recently our vision has developed into a need to grow our own food - for our family, for our cafe & the community - and connected with long time organic farmer and visionary Dan Kittrege of The Real Food Campaign in a convergence of like-minded souls who has the skills and information we need to make this happen!
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
The social innovator behind our vision is the reality that access to real food is seriously jeopardized and that it is time for us to take back control over what we put into our bodies - even if it means growing it ourselves. In doing so we will not only take back our minds, we will improve our personal health and the overall health of our planet.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Friend or family member
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
 | Imani Zito said: So excited to report that we had 40 growers attend the first of our workshop series at our co-op space in Hartford TODAY! It was a full ... about this idea. - 15 days ago read more > |
 | Imani Zito added this idea to their favorites. - 15 days ago. |
| Imani Zito said: Thanks Naveen for your comments! Market Demand for High BRIX foods is already growing because produce grown in soil that is biologically ... about this idea. - 49 days ago read more > |
| Imani Zito said: Hi Dana - I would love to connect with your friend in NH - Dan Kittredge, the founder of The Real Food Campaign will be doing workshops ... about this idea. - 49 days ago read more > |
| Naveen Shakir said: This is a really great idea! It’s great that you’re addressing food security concerns as well as educating the community through ... about this idea. - 87 days ago read more > |
| Dana Frasz said: Dear Imani Zito, Thank you for submitting your entry into the competition. I am going to forward your work to a friend of mine who ... about this idea. - 88 days ago read more > |
| Imani Zito added this idea to their favorites. - 103 days ago. |
 | Imani Zito updated this idea. - 103 days ago. |
| Imani Zito updated this idea. - 103 days ago. |
 | Imani Zito submitted this idea. - 103 days ago |
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