The Health Department of Northwest Michigan recruited Groundwork and five other community partners to identify 50 food-serving local businesses and institutions and work with them to make changes that made "the healthy choice the easy choice." That is, make healthy food choices more accessible. Participating organizations included schools, hospitals, food pantries, retail locations and elderly living facilities. The program offered mini-grant funding to the sites, which was used to implement evidence-based health promotion strategies.

For more information about the Building Healthy Communities program, please contact Groundwork's Local Food Policy Specialist, Jen Schaap.