#Bridgeport, CT November 9, 2015 – LifeBridge Boosts Bridgeport’s Culture of Health with New Healthy Foods Enterprise LifeBridge Community Services a 166 year-old 501(c)(3) social service agency will announce a $800,000 3-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to develop a new produce supply and delivery enterprise that will provide affordable, fresh fruit and vegetables in food desert areas where many of Bridgeport’s poorest people live. LifeBridge will collaborate closely with the City’s network of government and non-profit agencies to increase the aggregate impact of their efforts to address hunger and enable low-income families to obtain healthy and nutritious food. LifeBridge will build on its experience, community networks, commercial relationships in the food industry, and knowledge of low-income “customer” populations to launch the enterprise. The anticipated shift to healthier eating behaviors will be enhanced by LifeBridge’s engagement of residents in coordinated, comprehensive social services
drawn from its extensive array of behavioral health, economic empowerment and social enterprise services. This new LifeBridge enterprise and related activities with food-based partner services will create over 40 new full-time jobs, 75% of which will be targeted for low-income individuals.