Over the years, our team has received hundreds of inquiries from nonprofits, academic researchers, and public officials who are interested in learning more about DC Central Kitchen’s innovative Healthy Corners program and how it might work in their own communities. In response, DC Central Kitchen is pleased to announce our newest partner resource: Building Healthy Corners: A Best Practice Guide for Creating Healthier Corner Stores. This comprehensive, open-source document is designed for change-makers, community leaders, and allies in the fight for healthier food—and available completely for free via our website.
First launched in 2011, our Healthy Corners program quickly emerged as a pioneering response to the food access challenges found in far too many DC neighborhoods, as well as communities across the country. In response to those challenges, we began serving as a mission-driven produce wholesaler, corner store infrastructure investor, community outreach and marketing operation, and retail sales technical assistance provider. These combined efforts linked last-mile delivery with efforts to build both retailer capacity and community trust and soon gained national attention for our success in transforming small corner stores into robust, reliable access points for healthy food. In time, the program incorporated innovative nutrition incentives in partnership with District and federal government, embraced creative technology, played a key role in DC’s pandemic response efforts, and entered a new phase of growth with the opening of our 36,000 square foot production and training facility in 2023.
Along the way, we’ve learned a lot – from how to partner with federal nutrition programs and public health practitioners to how to respond to customer concerns and train busy clerks and store owners. Packed with proven strategies, first-hand experiences, and templates for program evaluation and strategic planning, this accessible, user-friendly guide is meant to empower partners in other parts of the country as they seek to adapt, replicate, and build on our successful model. DCCK has worked closely with groups and leaders from places like Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, and Oregon to share our first-hand experiences and freely support their efforts to establish sustainable, healthy alternatives in their communities.
It’s our hope that this guide will help us reach more partners and communities across the country and provide a lasting resource that people can refer to and learn from as their efforts evolve. If you’re a change-maker exploring how healthy corner store programming might fit in your town, city, or region, we invite you to review the guide in advance of reaching out to us for a direct conversation so our team can focus on more specific questions and assistance.
This best practice document was developed with support from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and Longer Tables Fund, and in partnership with the Global Food Institute at The George Washington University and the Partnership for a Healthier America. You can download it for free on www.dccentralkitchen.org/healthycorners.