The school, Charles H Parker Academy offered us an opportunity to create an elective to expand our reach on nutrition and microgreens– ”Nutrition Ninja”. Our action plan was designed with the specific goal of educating food-insecure students about nutrition, gardening, and sustainability through engaging, hands-on learning activities. The success of this initiative was measured by its ability to achieve the objectives of improving students' knowledge of nutrition, promoting p

Our project has been both an enriching and transformative experience, fostering both personal and professional growth among team members while making a meaningful impact on the elementary school students and the food desert communities we served. Through our efforts in establishing an education program and hands-on gardening experiences, we have developed a deeper understanding of the food desert issue, enhanced our teamwork and communication skills, and strengthened our abil

Through our food tasting festival that we hosted, where we distributed sprout and microgreen kits and educated the community with the help of the students, it can be seen that our project receives strong support from the school’s leadership, including the principal, elective leaders, and teachers, who expressed enthusiasm for our program’s continuation. This food tastings for families let students showcase dishes they've created using nutrition, microgreens, and gardening kno

From 2020 to 2024, grocery prices rose 23.6% the largest increase in 40+ years- due to inflation, supply chain issues. Although inflation has slowed in 2024, prices are still up 5.6%. In food deserts, limited access to healthy grocery options forces reliance on overpriced, low-quality convenience store food. These rising costs make it harder to meet basic needs, leaving families choosing between food and basic needs. Food insecure neighborhoods often face dual challenges of p

Area of Concern Hunger and food insecurity affect millions worldwide. The World Health Organisation reports that 9.2% of the global population experienced severe food insecurity. Beyond hunger, food insecurity has lasting impacts on health, economic stability, and social mobility. The USDA defines a food desert as an area with limited access to affordable and nutritious food. These regions often lack grocery stores and healthy food providers within convenient reach.

In North Carolina alone, there are 349 food deserts, affecting over 1.5 million residents. Food deserts are geographic areas with limited or no access to healthy, affordable food. Food deserts often occur in low-income neighborhoods, because of socioeconomic factors like poverty, no access to vehicles, and lack of public transportation. In the Charlotte metro region, many NGO (non-governmental organizations) and community food rescue programs are trying to solve the food dese

Access to healthy food is a fundamental right that every family should enjoy. Unfortunately, many families face barriers that prevent them from obtaining nutritious meals. At Bloom Up, we believe that everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy food options. With limited time and money people in food deserts have, we wondered how best we can meet their daily nutrient and hunger needs without reliance on food-aid, corner store’s processed food or handouts.We took on ourselves t