In a healthcare landscape increasingly burdened by diet-related diseases, The Root of It All is a bold response—designed to embed nutrient-dense food directly into the everyday environments where families receive care. By connecting local small farms with dental clinics, dental schools and dental professionals, we aim to redefine food access as a critical component of health services with a prescription program.
Having over fifty years of experience collectively in agriculture and the dental industry, Veronica along with Tim are tackling chronic illness, metabolic syndrome, by addressing it at the root: what we eat, and how we care for our communities. Metabolic Syndrome involves having at least 3 out of 5 health conditions that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes. Pioneering a community-based solution for family healthcare that bridges wellness and nutrient dense foods is our aim.
What’s happening with this work in the next 6-12 months?
Our mission is to create a sustainable, community-rooted food system in 6 -12 months. Prioritizing long-term solutions that reduce dependence on non-nutritive convenience foods, and engages patient age 3 to 100, produce prescriptions, food education, and community resource outlets introduced through dental providers will lead to healthier lives. Through this approach, we will impact 40 families.
Collaborators
- Golden Ciphers
- Ghetto Therapy
- Arrow Project
- Martin DePorres
- The Prolific Achievers
- NEON Health
- Care Alliance
- Mark A. Worford DDS
- CWRU Dental
- Central State
How can you get involved?
You can support our efforts to transform local food access and health outcomes by getting involved in several meaningful ways:
- Volunteers are essential in helping distribute produce, assist with educational workshops, and engage directly with families.
- Access to community facilities allows us to host events, cooking classes, and food distribution points that bring people together.
- Supporters can contribute by raising awareness, connecting us with partners, or offering specialized skills.
- Grant proposal writing is another vital area where experienced individuals can help us secure the funding needed to expand our reach.
- Financial contributions and in-kind donations directly support our ability to provide fresh food, educational materials, and other critical resources.
Every form of support helps families access food and thrive.
Veronica Walton, RDH
Veronica is the Executive Director for Food Depot to Health and she has been a Registered Dental Hygienist for more than 40 years. Her experiences include: urban farming with a focus on homestead hub development, farmers’ market management, environmental health and safety consulting, City of Cleveland Climate ambassador for Glenville, Youth Mental Health first aid, Adolescent Health Advocate (CWRU, Cuyahoga County Youth Work Institute), Master rain-gardener, and Certified backyard habitat steward (NWF).
Tim Lewis, Farmer
Tim is an experienced professional with over a decade of expertise in agriculture and marketing. As the Outreach Director at Rid-All Green Partnership and Director of Outreach & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Reverb Wellness Hemp Cultivation & Processing, he leverages content creation and events to educate the community on green practices.
This team graduated from the REACH Fellowship, a program of the Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health. For more information about the REACH Fellowship, click here.