This piece is part of the weekly series “Growing Forward: Insights for Building Better Food and Agriculture Systems,” presented by the Global Food Institute at the George Washington University and the nonprofit organization Food Tank. Each installment highlights forward-thinking strategies to address today’s food and agriculture related challenges with innovative solutions. To view more pieces in the series, click here.
Rochester, Minnesota has long been known as “America’s City for Health.” It’s a place where diagnosing, treating and healing have been at the core of its identity, thanks to some of the world’s best healthcare.
Since becoming Rochester’s Mayor in 2019, I’ve focused on building upon that legacy by promoting wellness in every part of our community. That means looking beyond medicine to the daily factors that impact our health, like access to nutritious food, opportunities for movement and partnerships that support families where they are.
In August 2024, I became aware of a concerning issue facing Rochester Public Schools. The district’s participation in the federal Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program (FFVP), which provides healthy snacks to students in our lower-income “Community Schools,” would not be funded until the third week of school. This gap meant that during the first few weeks of the academic year, many students would be without regular snacks–putting them at risk of hunger during a critical time for learning and adjustment.
While school staff and community members worked quickly to fill the gap, my office also took action. We started purchasing healthy snacks and partnered with a local orchard to provide apples to students in two of our elementary schools. Area nonprofits also stepped up to contribute funding, making it a community-wide response. Together, we were able to ease a short-term challenge. But the core issue remained. Each year, this delay in FFVP funding could leave students without reliable access to healthy food.
Rather than accept this as an annual challenge, we looked for a longer-term solution. Working through the Olmsted County Food Coalition, a regional partnership focused on food access, we identified a new opportunity. Southeast Minnesota Food Rescue, a local organization focused on reducing food waste and improving nutrition equity, stepped forward to help. They applied for and received a US$5,000 grant from the City of Rochester’s Social Equity Fund and launched a new initiative called Equity Eats.
With the support of this grant and partnerships with regional apple orchards, Equity Eats was able to provide fresh, healthy snacks for students in all of our Community Schools during the crucial first weeks of the 2025 school year. This collaboration not only filled a need—it empowered local farmers, reduced food waste and strengthened our local food system.
Inspired by this meaningful and rewarding partnership, the Office of the Mayor continues to work with area farmers and growers to promote access to culturally relevant produce and support economic opportunity.
One new and exciting effort is a pop-up cultural farmers market we’re organizing in conjunction with one of our Riverside Concerts. These free summer events bring thousands of residents to one of our downtown parks along the river. Starting this summer, we will provide free space on a Sunday afternoon in a City parking lot just across the river from the concert. This will create a vibrant spot for community members to access fresh produce, meet local growers, and learn about the cultural diversity behind the food grown right here in Southeast Minnesota.
Our long-term goal is to help Rochester not just treat illness but prevent it by creating a community where health and wellness are accessible to all. That means ensuring our kids are nourished, our farmers are supported, and our partnerships are strong. The work continues, and we welcome others to join us in building a healthier, more equitable Rochester, starting with small steps that make a big difference.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
