In several communities, it is enough to travel from one neighborhood to another to see the huge differences, all too often related to race, in health outcomes. For example, in some parts of the country, the life expectancy of people living in one neighborhood may be 20 to 30 years shorter than those of people living nearby, and we often see these gaps in areas divided by racial lines.
In more than 15 years of working in the food and nutrition industry in many communities, I have witnessed such disparities with my own eyes, where too often the Black and Brown communities experienced both chronic health problems and the highest rates of food insecurity. These disparities only widened during the pandemic – for example, in 2020, 21.7% of black households experienced food insecurity – more than twice as many as white households. A common thread in all of these communities was the lack of investment in the food system. However, in these same communities, I found inspiration and resilience in local leaders and organizations that have worked to expand access to food despite having fewer resources.
As a company, we understand that access to food and health outcomes are closely related. In many neighborhoods, Walmart’s physical presence and omnichannel capabilities enable us to serve as a source of affordable healthy food and health services. In addition to our activities, through philanthropy, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have funded programs to increase people’s access and confidence in eating healthier food.
In 2020, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation pledged to go further – using Walmart’s business initiatives and philanthropy to address the health problems that impact the black and African-American community for generations. Walmart’s Health Shared Value Network (SVN), a team of associates driving the company’s approach to health equality, is focused on how Walmart’s opportunities and offerings can contribute to better health outcomes, including by addressing social determinants of health such as food and nutrition insecurity.
The Walmart.org Center for Racial Equality complements SVN’s work by investing in efforts that make healthy food options more accessible to the communities that need them most. We want to empower local entrepreneurs and organizations that know how to meet the needs of their communities, but need investment to make lasting changes. More recently, through the Walmart and the Walmart Foundation, the Center invested nearly $ 9.5 million in grants to help organizations find healthy food solutions while fueling economic development and capacity building in predominantly black communities with low access to food. These grants support organizations operating in two key areas:
The crossroads of health care systems and community-led food solutions
Community-led food solutions that fuel economic development
These grants are designed to shift resources towards local organizations that can serve as models for innovation and community empowerment through food. We hope that they will not only help to improve food systems, but also inspire others to support entrepreneurs and organizations that are best placed to provide local solutions that strengthen access to food and ultimately the health of neighbors.