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Food Deserts & Health Outcomes –
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A Place to Be Fed
The expert content knowledge of Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group is featured in this moving documentary short created by the extraordinary storyteller Billy Ivey of Small Stories Studio. Billy and his film crew packed up their gear and embarked on a road trip from Birmingham, AL, all the way to Chicago, IL, so that they could spend a few days collaborating with Mari in person. Mari provided needed background and insights for Billy’s story about grocer James Harris, who was called by his faith to open a sorely needed grocery store in Fairfield, AL. The film shines a light on our universal need for healthy food and includes background scenes from food desert areas in Chicago as well as Alabama and Louisiana.
As Mari says in the film, “food deserts are not just a southern problem, and certainly not just an issue for the urban poor. We all require sustenance with substance…” Watch the trailer for A Place to Be Fed.
Can factual, data-driven stories bring new hope and solutions to old problems? Can we each make a difference to improve the world around us? Watch the full 19-minute documentary A Place to Be Fed to find out!
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Mini Film Fest Collaboration
With The Rural Grocer Initiative
Springing From A Place to Be Fed
National Expert Mari Gallagher, acclaimed storyteller Billy Ivey, grocer James Harris of Alabama, and grocer Tom Mulholland of Iowa all collaborated as one team with the Rural Grocery Initiative at its national conference. The collaboration included Mari facilitating a large group discussion after showing the trailer for A Place to Be Fed and the documentary short They Came from All Over. The trailer for A Place to Be Fed was made especially for the Rural Grocery conference, as acclaimed storyteller Billy Ivey was, at that time, still in the process of completing the full documentary.
As discussed, A Place to Be Fed features Mari’s food access work and the efforts of grocer James Harris, whose lifelong dream has always been to serve people through healthy food provision. Watch the trailer and the full documentary short.
Can factual, data-driven stories bring new hope and solutions to old problems? Can we each make a difference to improve the world around us? Watch the full 19-minute documentary A Place to Be Fed to find out!
They Came from All Over is a 14-minute documentary short by Academy Award-winning director Rayka Zehtabchi in association with Meta. The film follows grocery store owner Tom Mulholland as he confronts the aftermath of a tragic fire that destroyed his long-standing, family-owned community grocery store. Watch Tom’s moving story as he picks up the pieces in an effort to rebuild and hear directly from the community why this single, small grocery store means so much to them.
Additional Collaboration: The Data Dive
Data and context expert Mari Gallagher, along with her extraordinary storyteller partner and two passionate independent grocers (both from dramatically different communities), team up yet again! Check out their poster, displayed at the national conference for the Rural Grocery Initiative, which features the analysis of Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group.
Poster title: Using Hyper Local Hunger & Market Data To Form Strategies That Increase Good Grocer Entry, Healthy Food Access, & Grocer Sales & Sustainability In Urban & Rural Food Deserts
Poster description: Imagine the State of Alabama partitioned into about 4,000 hyper-local pinpoints and reliably calculating for each the number of net meals that are missed each week because households cannot afford them. This poster session details our pinpointed hunger model and analysis of the “worst 20” locations across Alabama, plus a meal deficit and market comparison of the two communities detailed in the grocer documentaries to be shown at the conference (one in rural Iowa, the other in urban Alabama – both are considered food deserts). You might be surprised by what we found and how this approach can support your healthy food market and program initiatives. Can a strategic data framework help solve persistent food access issues while increasing grocer sales? We think so!
More on Alabama Research
If you already watched the documentary A Place to Be Fed, you know it references past MG work in Birmingham that assessed the impact that food access has on health outcomes. In the process of conducting field work and engaging with residents, Mari met children who had never seen or heard of strawberries. If you would like a copy of the report, send us an email!
Bridging the Great Health Divide
Mari Gallagher was a major contributor to and participant in this hour-long documentary, created by InvestigateTV, a news group with regular features appearing in 24% of US households. It’s a must-see for anyone who cares about access to healthy food, our MG classifications of mainstream and fringe food stores, hospital access, and much more across rural America, especially in Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta. Watch here.
Florida & Vulnerable Children
Our firm has provided extensive support across Florida over the last 10 years, including food-and-health impact assessments and the statewide application of our Meal Deficit Metric model, which calculates the number of net missing meals because households cannot afford them. We also have given back with pro bono research on vulnerable children under five years of age. Watch our 13-minute in-house video that we created on a special hyper-local lens on children concerning missing meals for a statewide conference held during the pandemic. Watch here.