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FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA TO SPEAK TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY AT
HEALTH HAPPENS IN NEIGHBORHOODS
CELEBRATION OF NEW STORE OPENINGS
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – First Lady Michelle Obama will join Robert K. Ross, M.D., CEO of The California Endowment, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Inglewood Mayor James Butts and community leaders from around Los Angeles to celebrate the first few examples of tangible progress facilitated by the California FreshWorks Fund a public-private partnership between The California Endowment and an all-star team of partners.
Last July, Mrs. Obama announced nationwide commitments to open or expand stores in areas with limited access to healthy food. This announcement included the creation of the California FreshWorks Fund, an innovative public-private financing fund designed to bring affordable fresh and healthy foods to critical food access areas in California.
Northgate Gonzalez Markets, once a small family-owned grocer, has grown to be a community staple in dozens of locations across California. FreshWorks has committed in excess of $20 million in financing to Northgate for their first three projects (City Heights, Inglewood and South Los Angeles) to further prioritize healthy food retailing as they expand their company, create jobs, and help nourish communities that otherwise lacked access to fresh, healthy, AND affordable food.
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, February 1, 2012
**Press check-in time and details will be provided to approved RSVPs
Speaking Program 9:00 – 9:40 AM PST
LOCATION: SITE OF FUTURE Inglewood Northgate Gonzalez Market
10801 S Prairie Ave
Inglewood, CA 90303-2115
PARTICIPANTS: The speaking program will include:
First Lady of the United States of America Michelle Obama
Robert K. Ross, M.D., The California Endowment CEO
James Butt, Inglewood Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Mayor
Oscar Gonzalez, Northgate Gonzalez Markets COO and Co-President
PRESS: Members of the media can RSVP to this open press by emailing FirstLadyPress@who.eop.gov by Monday, January 30th at 6:00 PM Eastern. For more information on the California FreshWorks Fund or to set up interviews with spokespersons/investors in the Fund, contact Brandon Hersh at bhersh@griffinschake.com or 323.892.2080
BACKGROUND: In an announcement by First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House ceremony last July, The California Endowment and partners launched the California FreshWorks Fund. The $264 million public-private partnership loan fund is a statewide financing initiative that will transform underserved neighborhoods by providing funding to grocery stores and other fresh food retail and distribution outlets. It is modeled after the successful Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative and developed to align with the National Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). By driving economic development and encouraging innovation in healthy food retailing practices, the Fund will not only create jobs, but will help Californians gain greater access to healthy food choices and lead healthier lives.
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The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, The Endowment has regional offices in Sacramento, Oakland, Fresno and San Diego, with program staff working throughout the state. The Endowment challenges the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for people's health. The Endowment believes that health happens in neighborhoods, schools, and with prevention. For more information, visit The California Endowment’s homepage at www.calendow.org.
California FreshWorks Fund partners include: The California Endowment, NCB Capital Impact, NCB, Unified Grocers, California Grocers Association, Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health, Calvert Foundation (formerly Catholic Healthcare West), Social Compact, Emerging Markets, PolicyLink, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, U.S. Bank, Community Health Councils, The Reinvestment Fund, Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles and most recently Met Life, Citibank, Opportunity Finance Network, and Charles Schwab Bank
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