Full Lives
Innovating to Build Food Equity
Supporting local innovative nonprofit partners, developing community resources and collectively building a local food system can solve neighborhood food insecurity in a sustainable way.
Nourish Neighborhoods, Grow Communities
In the Greater Twin Cities, entire neighborhoods lack access to healthy, affordable food. The effects of these food injustices extend beyond households to a community’s educational, economic and health outcomes. By investing in proven initiatives that address hunger on a neighborhood level, we can get to the heart of the challenges and transform outcomes alongside whole communities.
1 in 8
Greater Twin Cities residents are food insecure
1 in 3
Minnesotans have low retail access to healthy food
3X
the rate at which Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander and People of Color are more likely to experience poverty
“Without this program, some of us would never meet or connect — it teaches our community to come together and make things like the garden happen.”
– Lalah, Full Lives participant
The Role of Full Lives
Part food security innovation and part economic incubator, Full Lives is a place-based community grantmaking program that strives to not only increase access to healthy food but also increase revenue, create jobs and further nutritional knowledge in communities throughout the Greater Twin Cities.
Together with nonprofit leaders, we work to promote local agriculture, support entrepreneurs, foster new food businesses and farmers’ markets, and improve food access in neighborhoods of low-income and Communities of Color.
Our Impact to Date
14
new food sector businesses
12
acres of fruit and vegetable gardens
278
jobs created
$3.5M
in revenue
Dive Deeper into the Full Lives Work
The impact Full Lives has made on the community is sweeping, addressing many gaps in our region’s food system. To learn more about food insecurity issues in the Greater Twin Cities and how this work addresses these challenges, check out more information below.
Full Lives Impact Report
Full Lives Community Connection Series
The Case for Nourishing Communities
Stories About Full Lives
Join Us as a Changemaker
Learn how you can support programs like Full Lives and other innovative solutions.
How We Innovate
Full Lives is just one part of the work Greater Twin Cities United Way does to develop innovative solutions to the challenges our communities face.
