Flint, MI USA

In partnership with Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village

In Flint, Michigan, nearly 9,000 children were supplied lead-contaminated water for over 18 months. According to the EPA, lead exposure causes central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells in children. Lead also bioaccumulates in the body over time, and poses serious effects for family health.

There is no cure for lead poisoning, however, research has shown that a healthy diet of fresh foods may moderate the effects of lead. Like 23.5 million people in the US, many residents of Flint live in food deserts and depend on highly processed, nutritionally inadequate food for their calories.

With support from the US EPA and 501CTHREE, The Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village ran a pilot program to identify critical gaps in knowledge of how to buy, prepare, and store fresh food. Thirty families on food assistance were selected whose children tested positive for high lead exposure. 

For one year, families in the program were provided with weekly deliveries of locally-sourced fresh food that could later be purchased with food assistance dollars. Working together, the staff and families co-created recipes that were healthy, easy to prepare, and tasty. After the first year, families in the program improved the health and wellness of children with high levels of lead exposure, accepted healthier plant-based meals and diets, and bonded over preparing meals at home.

---

About SBEV

At the Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village, our mission is to cultivate leadership capacity.  We offer free year-round programming to youth ages 5-17 in the Flint, MI area. Our programs in Academics, Athletics, and the Arts are taught by local professionals who dedicate their time to reinvesting their skills and knowledge and giving back to the young people. By developing and investing in youth, we desire to transform Flint into a just and equitable city.