EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Power is Giving is dedicated to transforming lives and dismantling systemic barriers to wellness equity in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communiAes. Our approach focuses on culturally resonant, evidence-based WFPB programs to prevent, arrest, and, in many cases, reverse lifestyle-driven chronic illnesses, while addressing systemic inequiAes. We prioriAze key Social Determinants of Health (SDOH):
1. Nutri?on: Providing whole food, plant-based (WFPB) restoraAve lifestyle educaAon and resources.
2. Physical Environment: Addressing food apartheid and nutriAon redlining to ensure equitable access to opAmal nutriAon.
3. Economic Stability: IntegraAng financial wellness educaAon to empower families toward intergeneraAonal equity.
Our evidence-based programs promote opAmal wellness soluAons through the implementaAon of whole food, plant-based (WFPB) clinical, nutriAve, culinary and related educaAonal resources. These programs offer proven tools to prevent, arrest, and, in many cases, reverse lifestyle-driven chronic illnesses, which disproporAonately impact BIPOC communiAes.
We ignite evidence-based, soluAon-focused conversaAons about the broader socioeconomic factors driving dispariAes and how to solve them. By targeAng mulAple SDOH, Power is Giving aims to create lasAng change, fostering thriving, equitable communiAes where BIPOC families have access to the knowledge, resources, and opportuniAes necessary for enduring wellness and prosperity.
Mission Statement
To provide evidence-driven, culturally resonant whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle educaAon that empower disproporAonately impacted communiAes through opAmal wellness programs and advocacy.
Vision Statement
Thriving and equitable communiAes where all families receive access to opAmal health and the resources necessary to build lasAng, intergeneraAonal wellness.
Our Values
We believe access to whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle educaAon, resources and evidencebased nutriAon are basic human rights. Guiding principles like evidence-based science, equity, educaAon and cultural competency drive us as we work collaboraAvely alongside clinicians, chefs, and subject maTer experts to dismantle systemic opAmal wellness barriers, such as nutriAon redlining, that disproporAonately impact underserved communiAes.
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
Administering culturally resonant, expert-led opAmal wellness intervenAons, Power is Giving's year-round programs aid in the prevenAon and arrest of our top lifestyle-driven chronic illnesses through evidence-driven, whole food, plant-based lifestyle educaAon and advocacy.
Officially founded in 2016 on the principle that the disseminaAon of fitness and evidence-based lifestyle educaAon, access to fresh fruits and vegetables and related resources should be equitable, Power is Giving is dedicated to combaAng systemic inequiAes like nutriAon redlining and food apartheid through its year-round programs and advocacy.
As nutriAon redlining represents deeply rooted racial and economic pracAces that have normalized the denial of nutriAve resource access, they have also spawned food apartheid communiAes and the creaAon of food swamps, which occur in geographic areas where retail abandonment has occurred and subsequently given way to an onslaught of convenience stores and fast-food outlets offering cheap, chronic disease promoAng, highly processed foods.
Notably, a 2012 study published in the American Journal of Public Health also underscored the prevalence of food swamps in Black and Brown communiAes at a rate 3 Ames higher than more affluent communiAes, which further exacerbaAng chronic disease rates and health dispariAes.
As our presentaAon of evidence-based, whole food plant-based (WFPB) nutriAve, clinical, fitness and culinary programming aligns with our commitment to equity and cultural competency, our vision for thriving, equitable communiAes are both achievable and sustainable.
MILESTONES
OUR PROGRAMS
Housed under the umbrella name Eat, Drink, Disrupt (EDD), our programs aim to dismantle wellness inequiAes by providing evidence-based, culturally resonant WFPB resources:
1. EDD Fit and Fuel Tennis: CombaAng childhood and juvenile obesity, this free 1/2-day program engages youth ages 5–17 through tennis training, fitness coaching, nutriAon educaAon, and mentorship. Led by BIPOC, former NCAA athletes and fitness experts, parAcipants experience physical acAvity combined with the introducAon of healthy vegan meals and snacks.
2. EDD Talks Lunch & Learn: A free 75-minute program featuring physician-led chronic disease prevenAon, arrest, and reversal presentaAons, Q&A sessions, and a chef-curated, culturally resonant vegan lunch. ParAcipants receive evidence-based takeaway resources to support transiAoning to a WFPB lifestyle.
3. EDD Summit: A 1/2-day call-to-acAon program that provides BIPOC clinicians, chefs, subject maTer experts, and entrepreneurs a plaform to empower their communiAes while fostering health, nutriAon, and financial equity.
4. EDD Roots: A program providing in-person and virtual WFPB cooking demos, presentaAons, and educaAonal resources. Due to scheduling and budget constraints, this program will pause in 2025 and resume in 2026.
2025 GENERAL PROGRAM CALENDAR
MONTH
MARCH
APRIL
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
NOVEMBER
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
PROGRAM
EDD TALKS LUNCH & LEARN 75 MINS
EDD FIT & FUEL TENNIS ½ DAY
EDD TALKS LUNCH & LEARN 75 MINS
EDD FIT & FUEL TENNIS ½ DAY
EDD TALKS LUNCH & LEARN 75 MINS
EDD TALKS LUNCH & LEARN 75 MINS
EDD SUMMIT ½ DAY
Chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke disproporAonately affect African American and LaAno communiAes, underscoring the urgency of Power is Giving’s mission.
• Heart Disease: African Americans are 30% more likely to die from heart disease than nonHispanic whites.
• Stroke Mortality: Stroke mortality rates are 40% higher among African Americans compared to whites.
• Diabetes: African Americans have a diabetes death rate 2 Ames higher than non-Hispanic whites.
COUNTY-LEVEL DISPARITIES
In both Mecklenburg County, NC African American residents experience significantly worse health outcomes:
• Heart Disease Mortality: Rates are 1.4–1.6 Ames higher for African Americans than for white residents.
• Type 2 Diabetes: African Americans in Mecklenburg County are twice as likely as white residents to live with diabetes.
• Obesity: Over 45% of BIPOC residents in these counAes face obesity, increasing suscepAbility to hypertension, joint diseases, and cancers.
CHILDHOOD OBESITY
The crisis extends to children, with childhood obesity rates tripling since the 1990s. DisproporAonate impacts are seen among low-income African American and LaAno youth. NaAonally:
• 19.7% of children and adolescents (ages 2–19) are affected by obesity, with BIPOC youth overrepresented in this staAsAc.
These persistent inequiAes highlight the need for targeted, evidence-based intervenAons like Power is Giving’s culturally resonant whole food, plant-based (WFPB) programs.
WHAT WE CAN DO
Research confirms that implemenAng evidence-derived, WFPB advocacy, clinical, culinary and fitness pathways to wellness through an equity lens that confronts the insAtuAonal barriers responsible for nutriAonal redlining serves as powerful qualitaAve and quanAtaAve intervenAonal tools.
OUR PRIORITY POPULATIONS
Power is Giving Inc. prioriAzes BIPOC youth (ages 5-17) and BIPOC adults in CharloTe, NC, as these groups suffer disproporAonately from diet-related chronic illnesses.
This strategic focus acknowledges the unique faced by these groups prompted us to create tailored programs to address the specific needs of these priority populaAons. Our goal is to empower them with access to knowledge and resources that can bring about change in wellness outcomes while promoAng nutriAonal equity.
REACH & IMPACT
Power is Giving's expansive programming strives to provide targeted BIPOC community accessible wellness educaAon while sparking interest in sustained lifestyle changes for populaAons impacted by health inequiAes. Over Ame, we have reached and informed thousands in North Carolina, South Carolina and New York on evidence-backed nutriAon strategies and food jusAce issues.
PROGRAM IMPACT AND OUTCOMES
HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
2024 COMMUNITY IMPACT
Through all of our programs combined, we reached over 2,000 people ranging from age 5 to senior ciAzens. To your lem, please review the infographic that includes impact and reach data as well as associated age demographics. While all community members received 100% whole food, plant-based (WFPB) and healthy vegan educaAon and evidencebased resources, 1000 received WFPB healthy vegan food; with, 9 out of 10 on conveying interest either adopAng a WFPB lifestyle or a desire to learn more about how to do so post program parAcipaAon.
1. Reduced Risk of Lifestyle Driven Chronic Diseases
Research underscores a WFPB lifestyle and its’ role in lowering the incidence of heart disease, obesity diabetes and hypertension, which are also condiAons that disproporAonately affect BIPOC youth and adult populaAons.
2. Improved Metabolic Health
AdopAon of a WFPB lifestyle can significantly enhance metabolic health markers, directly impacAng overall well-being and longevity.
3. Enhanced Quality of Life
Beyond physical health, WFPB lifestyles contribute to beTer mood, increased energy levels and improved sleep quality
4. Educa?onal Impact
Provides essenAal knowledge about how to source and prepare as well as the opAmal nutriAonal benefits of a WFPB lifestyle.
THE ECONOMY
1. Healthcare Costs
By promoAng a WFPB lifestyle, our programs can aid in helping to lower the prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases, potenAally reducing healthcare expenses which represented over well over 20% of US GDP (pre-covid).
2. Public Health
With a focus on prevenAon, arrest and reversal of chronic illnesses, our programs contribute to a more informed and evidence-minded community and the potenAal for improved health outcomes; parAcularly among those disproporAonately impacted by preventable and arrestable, diet-driven chronic diseases.
THE ENVIRONMENT
1. Reduced Carbon Footprint
WFPB lifestyles are associated with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to diets high in animal products. By encouraging WFPB and healthy vegan lifestyles, we help miAgate climate change, offering a healthier planet for future generaAons.
2. Conserva?on of Natural Resources
WFPB lifestyles require significantly less water and land usage, which contributes to the preservaAon of vital ecosystems.
3. Biodiversity Protec?on
TransiAoning toward a WFPB lifestyle supports biodiversity by reducing the need for monoculture farming and preserving natural habitats
4. Significantly Reduced Harm
WFPB lifestyles significantly reduce harm to senAent animals raised as food; creaAng a more ethical and environmentally responsible World.
2024 BUDGETS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
In 2024, Power is Giving provided 450 vegan meals and impacted over 2,000 individuals through our free and/or low-cost programs.
2024 PROGRAM ACTUALS SUMMARY
EDD
TALKS LUNCH & LEARN
Averaging 65 per program, our 75-minute culturally competent lunch and learn program acAviAes include a 30-minute physician-led clinical presentaAon, Q & A, a clinically endorsed cookbook and other clinically derived and evidence based wellness resources
EDD FIT & FUEL TENNIS
Engaged 150 youth ages 6-17, this ½ day program included a healthy vegan lunches and snacks, training with culturally resonant former elite NCAA div 1 tennis & football athletes, take home wellness resources and mentorship opportuniAes.
EDD SUMMIT
A ½ day program reached over 300 in person and north of 1,000 virtually From BIPOC small business owners and everyday community members to acAvists, health professionals and poliAcians the summit presented culturally resonant clinicians, chefs and subject maTer experts to forward the conversaAon around transformaAve and sustainable change through the adopAon of a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle
EDD ROOTS
With a focus on BIPOC community program accessibility, we team up with collaboraAve partners to provide ancestrally centered, whole food, plant-based (WFPB) cooking demos, presentaAons and other evidence-based resources that introduce plant-based, culturally resonant flavors and how to access them within communiAes hardest hit by preventable and arrestable chronic diseases and related systemic inequiAes. The EDD Roots program will not be administered in 2025 but should resume in 2026.
2025 PROJECTED PROGRAM COSTS
EDD TALKS LUNCH & LEARN
Free, 75-minute program includes a chef-curated, culturally resonant WFPB lunch, a 30-minute physician-led chronic disease prevenAon and arrest presentaAon, Q & A, a clinically endorsed cookbook and other clinically derived and evidence based take-home wellness resources.
Cost-Effec?veness: With a projected cost of $3,430 per session and $10.55 per parAcipant, this program delivers high-impact, evidence-based tools that empower parAcipants to address lifestyle-driven chronic illnesses. The 2025 goal is to provide 320 parAcipants with clinically led educaAon, WFPB meals and culturally resonant resources.
Impact: ParAcipants gain knowledge and tools to adopt WFPB soluAons that can prevent, arrest, and reverse lifestyle-driven chronic illnesses.
EDD FIT & FUEL TENNIS
Set to engage up to 250 BIPOC youth ages 5-17, this ½ day feature a half-day of program includes a healthy and kid friendly vegan lunch, WFPB lunches, vegan snacks, training w/ BIPOC former NCAA division 1 athletes coaching takeaway wellness resources and mentorship opportuniAes.
Cost-Effec?veness: At a cost of $4,620 per program and $18.48 per parAcipant, this program engages 200 youth in fitness, nutriAon educaAon, and mentorship. By addressing childhood obesity, it supports the prevenAon of lifestyle-driven chronic illnesses.
Impact: Youth parAcipants experience specialized physical acAvity, and access to WFPB nutriAon, resources and BIPOC mentors, which may impact current or risk of future chronic illnesses.
EDD SUMMIT
A ½ day hallmark call to acAon program reaches approximately 400 in person and north of 1000 virtually. An opAmal wellness and equity soluAons gathering for everyone from BIPOC small business owners, non-vegans, vegans and community acAvists to health professionals, poliAcians or anyone desiring a world-class, culturally resonant experience, we convene clinicians, chefs, equity experts and more to forward the conversaAon around transformaAve and sustainable change.
Cost-Effec?veness: With a total program cost of $16,505 and a per-person cost of $11.00, the EDD Summit will impact approximately 1,500 individuals with acAonable soluAons for prevenAng, arresAng, and reversing lifestyle-driven chronic illnesses.
Impact: ATendees access tools and evidence-based experAse to improve wellness outcomes and address systemic economic dispariAes.
2025 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES & GOALS
1. Secure Funding: Address funding gaps by focusing at least 75% of the ExecuAve Director’s (ED) Ame on grant wriAng and funds development in 2025. Bringing on a part-Ame AdministraAve Specialist and Program Coordinator, which will enable the ED to focus on strategic leadership and partnership development.
2. Improve Wellness Equity Advocacy: Aid in dismantling barriers to WFPB opAmal wellness through targeted corporate and community educaAon and advocacy.
3. Encourage Healthy Lifestyle Habits: Provide culturally resonant, WFPB programs that combat childhood obesity and support the prevenAon, arrest, and reversal of lifestyledriven chronic illnesses that disproporAonately impact underserved communiAes.
4. Expand Impact Through Partnerships: Partner with area agencies such as: churches, Share CharloTe and United Way of Greater CharloTe to improve community reach and deepen impact.
By focusing on these prioriAes, we’ll conAnue to make strides toward our vision of thriving, equitable communiAes where BIPOC families experience opAmal lifestyle educaAon and enduring intergeneraAonal wellness.
2025 GENERAL PROGRAMS CALENDAR
All 2025 programs will be administered in Charlo7e, NC. Dates will be updated on website and social media pla>orms as soon speakers and venue bookings are confirmed.
STAFFING AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Due to operaAonal funding gaps, the ExecuAve Director currently performs mulAple criAcal roles, including program development, implementaAon, volunteer coordinaAon, and operaAonal oversight. While this dedicaAon has enabled the successful execuAon of 14 programs in 2024, it limits capacity for essenAal acAviAes like grant wriAng, strategic partnerships and long-term planning.
Immediate Goal: Hire a part-Ame Program Coordinator by Q2 2025 to allow for a smoother program rollout and ensure a focused approach to securing addiAonal funding.
WHY STAFFING EXPANSION IS CRUCIAL
Securing funding for a part-Ame Program Coordinator and an Admin Specialist will have immediate and measurable benefits: Increased Organiza?onal Efficiency
• The Program Coordinator will oversee program logisAcs, scheduling, onsite support, volunteers and coordinaAon with team leads.
• The AdministraAve Specialist will help with speaker and staff-related logisAcs, bookings, scheduling and related board and staff support.
Focused Leadership on Growth
• AllocaAng 50% of the ExecuAve Director's Ame to grant wriAng and partnership development will significantly enhance fundraising efforts, increasing operaAonal sustainability and longterm growth.
Scalability of Programs
• With staff support, we’ll be beTer posiAoned to sustain and expand program offerings, deepen community engagement and amplify impact within underserved communiAes.
CONCLUSION
Facing the same funding challenges often experienced by small nonprofit entities, Power is Giving remains unwavering in its commitment to providing access to whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle education and resources through culturally resonant programs, which both aid in the prevention, arrest, and, in many cases, reversal of our top lifestyle-driven chronic diseases and address systemic barriers to equity.
By prioritizing optimal wellness, environmental stewardship, and equity, we supply a solid foundation for the building of more thriving communities. Our evidence-driven approach uplifts disproportionately impacted families and contributes to a kinder, healthier and more equitable world for all.
With increased operational capacity, new partnerships and sustained support, Power is Giving will amplify its transformative impact, dismantling barriers and creating lasting change for generations to come.