A group of organizations, institutions and community residents formed the HOPE Collaborative to improve health and quality of life by transforming the food and fitness environments in Oakland neighborhoods suffering the most from health disparities.
The HOPE Collaborative envisions
vibrant Oakland neighborhoods that provide equitable access to affordable, healthy, locally grown food; safe and inviting places for physical activity and play; sustainable, successful local economies—all to the benefit of the families and youth living Oakland's most vulnerable neighborhoods.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation funded this planning initiative and eight other Food and Fitness collaboratives across the United States in the spring of 2007. The HOPE Collaborative shares the Kellogg Foundation for vibrant communities that provide equitable access to affordable, healthy, locally grown food and safe and inviting places for physical activity and play.
HOPE’s mission is to create fundamental and sustainable environmental changes that will significantly improve the health and wellness of Oakland residents.
Partner organizations in the HOPE Collaborative include the Alameda County Community Foodbank; the Alameda County Public Health Department; All Edibles; Bay Area Community Services; Bay Area Economics; Bay Localize; The California Endowment; City of Oakland --Community Economic Development Agency, Headstart and the Mayor's Office; City Slicker Farms; Community Alliance with Family Farmers; Cycles of Change; East Bay Asian Youth Center; East Oakland Boxing Association; Farms to Grow; Food First; Green for All; In Harmony; Inner City Advisors; Kaiser Permanente; Oakland Food Connection; Oakland Youth Movement; People’s Grocery; PolicyLink; Public Health Law and Policy; PUEBLO; Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE); Team Up for Youth; Transportation and Land Use Coalition; University of California at Berkeley; UC Cooperative Extension; UC Small Farm Center; Youth Radio; and Youth Uprising. Representatives from these and several other organizations wrote the proposal funded by Kellogg and designed the structure and process of the HOPE Collaborative. Hank Herrera serves as Project Manager.
Four Action Teams are developing a Community Action Plan to achieve the HOPE Collaborative vision A twenty-one member Steering Committee will coordinate the planning. The four action teams are Food Systems, Built Environment; Local Sustainable Economic Development and Families and Youth. The Steering Committee will submit the plan to the Kellogg Foundation in June, 2009.
The HOPE Collaborative welcomes all community members and organizations sharing the vision of healthy, local food, healthy residents, and a vibrant, healthy Oakland to join us!