WHISPERING ROOTS

Founded in 2011, WR is a two-time recipient of the Children’s Hospital Preventing Childhood Obesity grant award. While Omaha previously faced challenges of food insecurity because of the prevalence of "food deserts" that prevent families from accessing healthy food, COVID-19 created an economic downturn that resulted in high rates of job loss, food insecurity, and other negative health outcomes. WR targets communities facing difficulty from an unlivable income, poor education, and marginalization including immigrants, indigenous peoples, house-less individuals, veterans, and the elderly. Major programs include:

Emergency Food Distribution: Coordinates the delivery of food to communities lacking access to traditional emergency food outlets. WR streamlined distribution to include 30+ drop-off sites, feeding 4,000+ families weekly.

Food Pharmacy: low-income participants with Type 2 Diabetes receive clinical and outpatient Diabetes health management. Supplementing clinical care provided by Charles Drew medical personnel, WR offers “Outpatient” health support by preparing, coordinating, and distributing food boxes to patients and offering them nutrition and culinary education support.

Farm Stands: 4-6 WR staff coordinate and run farm stands held in the parking lots of WIC clinics and senior sites on a monthly basis. WR partners with a local farmer that drops off produce. WR not only coordinates the provision of nutritious food but also assists participants in using their vouchers properly and maximizing their value.

STEM, Nutrition, & Culinary Education: WR exposes students to gardening, robotic farming, agricultural drones, 3D printing, encouraging careers in STEM. Chefs work with students to incorporate their crops into nutritional meals.

Indigenous Agriculture & Health: Educates residents of Macy, Walthill, and Santee on best practice horticulture techniques, emphasizing STEM and next-generation agriculture in a controlled environment.