CHICAGO (March 9, 2023) – The Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion (CPHP) is a unit out of the UIC Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships (OCEAN-HP). CPHP is proud to announce the launch of the EAT. MOVE. SAVE. Meal Kit project. The project is designed to increase access to healthy and affordable food for low-income families in the Chicagoland area. Each meal kit contains all the ingredients needed to prepare a meal to feed a family of four.
“We are excited to bring this awesome resource to the city of Chicago. I am ecstatic about the opportunity to help provide additional access to healthy foods to those who need it most,” said Dominique Matthews, CPHP member and Meal Kit Project Manager.
After two years of development, CPHP is thrilled to bring the Meal Kit to life. The collaboration between Top Box Foods (TBF), Minnesota Extension, Experimental Station, and CPHP brought together different state project, private, and community organizations to leverage their respective strengths to create an innovative food initiative with an online platform for SNAP users to purchase the meal kits and access the resources they need to prepare them, including live support classes and nutrition education.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity at a time when it is needed most. With the end of SNAP’s Emergency Allotments, this collaborative project creates an affordable and accessible opportunity for SNAP users to double their spending power through Link Up Illinois, and we are proud to offer free home delivery of these convenient and healthy meal kits across Chicago,” said TBF Executive Director Connor DeLoach.
“This project will create access and convenience to good tasting, high quality healthy food in a brand-new way for neighborhoods that have typically been denied that access. My hope is that Meal Kit will be a vital instrument in addressing some of the access issues our communities desperately need,” said Matthews.
The Meal Kits are available for SNAP eligible households in Cook County to shop now at topboxfoods.com with instructional cooking videos, recipes, nutrition information, and more resources available at https://go.uic.edu/mealkit.
ABOUT Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion (CPHP):
Founded in 2002, CPHP aims to provide high quality nutrition education, health promotion, and disease prevention services through partnerships directed at SNAP eligible families in Chicago. As part of the Illinois SNAP-Ed project known as Eat. Move. Save. Chicago, CPHP’s goal is to bring healthy lifestyle messages into communities where Chicagoans live, work, eat, play, and shop, so community residents feel empowered and supported to live and lead healthier lifestyles.
ABOUT Top Box Foods (TBF):
Founded in 2012, TBF is a community-driven nonprofit that creates access to healthy and affordable food for all. With the support of a dedicated network of partnerships and volunteers, TBF offers fresh produce and other healthy groceries to support community partners in nutrition and hunger initiatives, encourage individuals to take charge of their health, and promote the development of a more sustainable food system.
ABOUT Experimental Station:
The Experimental Station is working to build independent cultural infrastructure on the South Side of Chicago. We do this by fostering a dynamic ecology of innovative educational and cultural programs, small business enterprises and community initiatives. Since 2006, we have both built our own programming to address a variety of identified local needs and have fostered, hosted, and sponsored numerous other initiatives. LINK Up Illinois, a program of Experimental Station, provides grants to Illinois farmers markets, farm stands, co-ops, and grocers to support access for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants to healthy foods.
ABOUT Minnesota Extension:
University of Minnesota Extension is an organization dedicated to discovering science-based solutions, delivering practical education, and engaging Minnesotans to build a better future. Through knowledge, expertise, and training, University of Minnesota Extension partners with counties and tribal communities to deliver local programming throughout the state. By connecting rural, suburban, urban and tribal communities with university resources, Minnesota Extension is able to make a difference in understanding communal needs and addressing critical issues across the state. The center for Agriculture, Food, and Natural resources aims to strengthen Minneosota’s food, agriculture and environment through the continual use of research based programs for all of Minneosata’s families and community residents.
Learn More About UIC Eat. Move. Save.