Food Strong’s Care-A-Van is a neighborhood-based health and wellness initiative bringing free preventive healthcare, fresh food access, and resource navigation directly into underserved Cleveland neighborhoods. In Summer 2026, we will host three Care-A-Van events on the last Tuesday of June, July, and August at the Superior Avenue Community Farm in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood. This grant would fully support one of those events.

Each Care-A-Van provides free health screenings for blood pressure, diabetes risk, and cholesterol through our partnership with Care Alliance Health Center. Residents also receive care navigation, insurance enrollment assistance, and referrals to local providers.

What makes this project impactful is the integration of healthcare with food access and community engagement. Events coincide with fresh produce distribution and include cooking demonstrations using that produce, farm tours, fitness activities, live music, and community resource tables. Families experience preventive care in a welcoming, stigma-free environment.

This project directly benefits Cuyahoga County residents by reducing barriers to healthcare, increasing health literacy, and activating a neighborhood space for public wellness. Support for one event will directly serve 80 to 100 residents and create measurable impact in a community facing significant health disparities.