2024 YEAR END REVIEW
OUR SPONSORS
pporters,
Greetings and best wishes for the new year
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
For over 35 years, our priority has been people and impacting communities through food, food service, and healthy eating We stand firm in our goal of connecting culinary diversity to food, race, and social justice.
Our 2024 highlights include recent culinary and educational events and conferences with REFed, CVS Aetna, and Drexel University
As with many other non-profits, we anticipate significant challenges will emerge in 2025. To that end we look to our constituents and supporters to help us make critical changes in our communities, concentrating on food justice, food waste, food insecurity, nutritional literacy, sustainability, and health equity By working together we feel confident we can begin to address these challenges
Two exciting opportunities will help advance our work in 2025 A new partnership with Harvard University in the food is medicine space - “Improving Nutrition Equity and Security to Tackle the Health of the Planet and its Inhabitants: Defining Culinary Medicine to Advance Patient-Centered Nutrition Education” and a partnership with the USDA to create better food systems in Puerto Rico
Future generations depend on the actions we take today In order to improve the lives of children we must act responsibly and with intention. Only by building a strong community network can we impact others through the work we do
Health equity is connected to social and economic empowerment. We must find ways to educate people so they have the skills, both practical and analytical to deal with these issues and find new ways to problem solve. We must build internal systems inside our communities, foster leadership, mentor future leaders, and encourage outside-the-box thinking so we are able to drive successful outcomes and higher achievements, both in education and business.
Let's all work together and find ways, through deep and intentional conversations, to build a better future, have a more stable food system and bring health equity into our communities for today and tomorrow
All the best in 2025, Alex Askew President, BCAGlobal
WHO ARE WE
BCAGlobal has been the only organization that connects the social determinants of health with systemic barriers that limit health and food security for underserved communities and diversity within food systems.
MISSION
Our Mission is to empower BIPOC individuals in the food system (including the food service industry) through a framework of mindfulness, sustainability, social justice, and food sovereignty and helps forge meaningful connections to further our vision of a beloved community.
"Elevating BIPOC voices and talents in the culinary world, one recipe at a time."
Our Impact in 2024
“The notion of mindful eating is really taking that sense of awareness; where our food comes from, and how it is grown. When food is imported and takes four to five days to reach your local store, it must be eaten immediately.”
-Alex Askew
OUR FIVE PILLARS
“THE WORLD PRODUCES ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED ALL OF ITS 8 BILLION PEOPLE, YET 733 MILLION PEOPLE (1 IN 11) GO HUNGRY EVERY DAY.”
“2.8 BILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD CANNOT AFFORD A HEALTHY DIET 35% OF THE GLOBAL POPULATION.”
WE’RE EXPANDING OUR PROGRAMING
As community and individualized needs continue to grow, so must the scope of our services. Over the next year we will be incorporating new programs, and building upon our flagship program, Mindful Eating for the Beloved Community.
Food Sovereignty in Puerto Rico
We are excited to announce that in 2024 we were awarded the USDA Beginning Farmers and Ranchers grant to implement community-informed educational courses on sustainability, waste reduction, and mindfulness in food systems for new or established farmers in Puerto Rico. We envision creating a communally beneficial educational network for farmers in Puerto Rico.
MINDFUL EATING FOR THE BELOVED COMMUNITY (MEBC)
MEBC is our longstanding program, which aims to raise the collective consciousness on the intersection of food sovereignty, nutritional literacy, racial inequity.
For 2025 we are increasing the scope of our programming to include educational events and programing for children K-12
Mindful Eating for the Beloved Community is more than a good read; it is thought-provoking, positively triggering, and provides an intersectionality approach to the food justice discussion.
-Kim B.
I am grateful for the Mindful Eating for the Beloved Community Course that took with BCA Global The program opened my eyes to the benefit of educating communities at a grassroots level It expressed the importance of connecting with faith-based organizations and gave a great introduction to the food systems and how those systems are impacting our communities I would definitely recommend this organization/training for other community leaders.
-Toya M.
WHAT WE DID THIS YEAR BY QUARTER
FIRST QUARTER
Mindful Baking with Bake My Cake
BCAGlobal kicked off the 2024 year using our MEBC program framework to teach "Mindful Baking" at Horizon Juvenile Center in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx with the support lead of JoAnn Baylor, BCAGlobal Board member, and Master Baker. This workshop was beneficial for several reasons, as it supports the physical, emotional, and long-term well-being of the youth in these environments. Many juveniles come from backgrounds where access to nutritious food is limited, leading to poor eating habits and health issues such as obesity, diabetes, or malnutrition Learning about healthy eating helps them understand the importance of nutrition for maintaining energy, managing weight, and preventing illness By incorporating healthy food training into juvenile facilities, these programs can promote better health outcomes, personal development, and a smoother transition to adulthood and reintegration into society.
REFed Food Waste Solutions Summit
President Alex Askew was invited to speak on the panel Fusion of Flavors: The Cultural Footprint of What We Eat and Don’t Eat at the REFed Conference. This session aimed to examine how cultural tradition shapes our attitudes toward food and what we consider edible. It also highlighted insights from Indigenous cuisine about traditionally low food waste diets that can help us build a more sustainable food system
“MINDFULNESS SHOULD START INSIDE AND OVERFLOW AND SPREAD LIKE INFECTIOUS LAUGHTER”
-CHEF BREALYNN LEE
SECOND QUARTER
CVS-Aetna and MEBC Event
Our Mindful Eating for the Beloved Community Events continued to scale to meet the demands of the underserved Aging Well and Senior Population with our food demonstration-Integrative workshops.
MEBC’s purpose is to reconnect communities with food that is a source of health and empowerment rather than food that is a source of disease and depletion. It's part of a grassroots movement toward a new paradigm: eating as an expression of dignity, identity, self-respect, and empowerment. BCA believes that food equity, a meal shared with loved ones, and informed food choices will change behaviors that impact physical, social, and environmental well-being Many of the participants left thinking about food differently and with a new importance to their health and the community
“SUPPORTING THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF A COMMUNITY IS AN IMPORTANT CORE PRINCIPLE WITH CVS-AETNA, AND THROUGH SUPPORTING BCAGLOBAL’S MINDFUL EATING FOR THE BELOVED COMMUNITY PROGRAM, WE ARE ABLE TO, IN PART, ACHIEVE THIS GOAL.”
- KENNETH BROOKS (CVS-AETNA)
Linde and BCAGlobal Webinars
During the 2nd Quarter we were able to partner with our newest sponsor (www.linde.com) on a two Global webinar series, accessible to any of their 65,000 employees.The important areas for discussion included topics for sustainability month, food and community, and how MEBC is impactful beyond sustenance and health. Calls to action were discussed as to how everyone can participate no matter where you were in the world. Our new partner Mrs. Sian Cuffy-Young from www.sielenvironmental.com located in Trinidad and Tobago, one of the only companies focused on food waste in the Caribbean, joined in to discuss the issues of food waste both in the Caribbean and globally
THIRD QUARTER
Drexel University Conference
President Alex Askew had the honor of presenting its program Mindful Eating for the Beloved Community at the Opening Keynote Session of the Philly Chef Conference at Drexel University entitled “Culinary Arts for the Health of People, Planet and Economies” alongside distinguished guest Jezabel Careaga and Beth Forrest, Culinary Institute of America
The Philly Chef Conference is hosted by Drexel University's Food and Hospitality Management Department. The mission of this annual conference is to engage our students with industry leaders while also connecting members of the restaurant community through a day of education.
The conference is an annual event designed to convene the regional food community and to showcase the latest food and beverage ideas and techniques through educational lectures, panel discussions and demonstrations It brings together the best chefs, food producers and personalities and links established food and hospitality professionals with aspiring students and young industry professionals. https://drexel.edu/cnhp/academics/departments/food-hospitality-management/phillychef-conference/
FOURTH QUARTER
USDA and BCAGlobal Partnership in Puerto Rico
Our 4th Quarter ended on a significantly powerful n year grant to apply our program framework to improve food systems in Puerto Rico. The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) funding by USDA-NIFA will allow BCAGlobal to develop an integrated farming model that produces nutrientrich shelf shelf-stable food products and livestock feed while reducing food waste
Puerto Rico is in a state of crisis We plan to collaborate with the University of Puerto Rico for development and community outreach. Organizations like Carribsun and Sajeh Farms from the Virgin Islands will help with integrating renewable energies, while the Marine Biology Laboratory will assist with testing and assessment of nutrients
A broken food system relying heavily on food imports and the impending calamity of climate change have suffocated the wellness out of the island and immediate actionable strategies must be implemented We plan to energize the process and create educational materials for beginning farmers on new crop cultivation methods that can increase revenue and revitalize the food system.
BOARD LEADERSHIP
BOARD OF DIRECTORS ADVISORY COUNCIL
JESSICA LONG
REGINALD MNZAVA
DR. SITEMBILE SALES
JOANNE BAYLOR
ALEX ASKEW
HARRIET TAUB
DR. WATSON BALDWIN
BREN SMITH
C.B. MURRAY
DAVID CASTRO
JAMES FRANCISCO
RAM NARAYANASWAMY
SRIRAM KRISHNAN
JANET LEE
KARLA COFFEE-DUNNING
KIM BOOKARD
VENKAT RAMAURTHY
NATHANIEL BAKER
RON DUPRAT
VALERIE SPAIN
VINEETA JAGANA
HARI RAMAKRISHNAN
CALL TO ACTION
BCAGlobal encourages you to support our mission of educating and empowering BIPOC individuals working in many areas of the food system. Through MEBC and creating a framework that emphasizes mindfulness, sustainability, social justice, and food sovereignty, we strive to forge meaningful connections to further our vision of a beloved community. To get more involved with us, click here to become an advocate or supporter of our work.
WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION AND PROGRAMMING
As we expand our programing and services to reflect the need of marginalized communities, we are expanding how a person can support our mission.
Direct to BCAGlobal via Paypal
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