The Food Trust’s Healthy Corner Store Initiative (HCSI) and Heart Smarts program work side by side to ensure that residents have access to delicious, nutritious food and information to choose healthier options in their local corner store. Through in-store nutrition education, nutrition incentives and technical assistance, our team supports store owners in activating their businesses as community health hubs.
Our History: HCSI in Philadelphia
The Healthy Corner Store Initiative works with small, independently owned grocery stores in order to help them increase the amounts of fresh produce and other healthy items they have available for sale. We accomplish this goal by providing stores with training, equipment and marketing materials to store and display the new healthy items they have introduced.
“I send all my friends to come to my corner store. There is such a variety of produce now, and I really like how he promotes healthy eating. I can go to the grocery store for WIC, but I come here. I like this selection, and I don’t feel rushed. They are such nice people. I call them my family.”
—Camden resident
The Food Trust created Heart Smarts, a nine-week nutrition education series covering topics and including topics relevant to the corner store environment. The series focuses on shopping healthy at corner stores through choosing more nutritious options; discovering ways to reduce sodium and sugar; and stretching your food dollars.
We work with our partners in Philadelphia, Camden, NJ, and select cities across the country to conduct live lessons in corner stores, and you can also watch our lessons online! There’s a quick taste test or recipe in every video, so be sure to watch till the end of each of our nine videos. Check out the full course here, or click on our featured lesson below to watch!
Additional resources are available for free download on our Publications & Webinars page.