CLEVELAND — The Nourishing Power Network (NPN) is a force for opportunity, health, and sustainability that connects the best of Cleveland’s history — innovation, resilience, and people — with a future that no longer tolerates a food system designed to exclude.
Born from a need to address glaring inequities in our local food system, NPN unites growers, small business owners, educators, advocates, and neighbors. Link by link, members of the network are testing ways to bridge community and institutional power to spark and expand food justice initiatives led by the community. We bring our strengths together to explore new collaborative approaches, meeting in the middle of intersections that previously led our work in different directions. NPN is charging on the tracks of Cleveland to a destination where our local food system works for all. Once and for all!
Since July 2022, NPN, guided by its community Advisory Council, has:
-Continually engaged over 600 people.
-Graduated 18 fellows.
-Invested $240,000 in local food justice initiatives.
It has a goal to establish ten Nutrition Zones in Greater Cleveland by 2030.
The NPN journey isn’t theoretical. It’s happening right now, in Cleveland, one link at a time.
Danielle White, a young woman from the Buckeye neighborhood who now lives in and advocates for the Central neighborhood, was once a skeptic. She doubted NPN could be different from prior initiatives that promised change before falling short. Yet, through the Nourishing Power Fellowship, mentorship, and opportunities to lead, she saw her ideas formalize. She aspires to lead an inclusive farm that creates job opportunities while nourishing the surrounding community. Today, she’s not just a believer — she’s an advocate, inspiring others to get onboard.
The network gains momentum with every energized new partner.
Veronica Walton and Don Gaddis are testaments to NPN’s impact on small businesses. With NPN’s support, Don took advantage of the Fellowship to reimagine connectivity of the local food economy using technology. Veronica, a grantee of the Nutrition Equity Fund, is unifying a collective of local food leaders across Wards 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 on Cleveland’s East Side to develop a Nutrition Zone that supports holistic health.
Members of the network cultivate leadership among young people. From Clark-Fulton to Collinwood, from Mount Pleasant to Glenville, grassroots leaders in Cleveland’s neighborhoods are expanding co-ops and educational programs. Youth are learning how to grow food and build sustainable food systems that benefit their communities.
These are the links in the chain that are transforming doubt into action and hesitation into momentum.
In this July 6, 2015, file photo, Zion Nicholson, 4, examines an okra plant inside the greenhouse of Village Family Farms in the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland. Zion had been coming to the garden his whole life with his father, Jafar Nicholson, the garden’s project manager. (Lisa DeJong/The Plain Dealer, 2015, File)The Plain Dealer
Cleveland’s food system is trending upward, fueled by the sacrifices and gains of those who came before us. The time has come to accelerate. Growing small businesses, empowering youth, and shifting mindsets are just the beginning. With each victory, NPN strengthens its interconnections, ensuring that this train doesn’t just stay on track, but also reaches new communities.
Cheryl Clements is co-founder and co-owner of Melanated Mushrooms and was a fellow of the Nourishing Power Network.Courtesy of Nourishing Power Network
The work of the Nourishing Power Network is not finished. We are moving full steam ahead, powered by partnerships, innovative solutions, and a collective commitment to change.
Darcy Freedman is the Principal Investigator of the Nourishing Neighborhoods Empowering Communities study and director of the Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine.davidschwartzphoto.com
Together, we envision a time when Greater Cleveland is known for its Nutrition Zones — oases where you’ll find vibrant and fair food systems powered by community-driven solutions and partnerships that foster wealth creation and generate health opportunities for all residents.
Now is the time to get on board.
To become a partner: Click on the “Join the Nourishing Power Network” at: Nourishing Power Network | Swetland Center for Environmental Health | Case Western Reserve University
Cheryl Clements is co-founder and co-owner of Melanated Mushrooms and was a fellow of the Nourishing Power Network. Darcy Freedman, Ph.D., is the Principal Investigator of the Nourishing Neighborhoods Empowering Communities study and director of the Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine.
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