OUR EAT DRINK DISRUPT (EDD) PROGRAMS
With a focus on addressing lifestyle-driven chronic illness and systemic inequities, all of our year-round programs begin with the acronym EDD, which stands for Eat Drink Disrupt. EAT represents the power of nourishing our bodies through whole food, plant-based lifestyle practices. DRINK encourages hydration and healthy habits that support overall wellness. DISRUPT reflects our commitment to challenging the systemic inequities that disproportionately impact health outcomes and expanding access to the education, foods and resources communities need to thrive.
MISSION STATEMENT
Advancing wellness equity by expanding access to culturally aligned, expert-led whole food, plant-based programs and resources proven to support the prevention, arrest and reversal of lifestyle-driven chronic illness in disproportionately impacted communities.
VISION STATEMENT
A future where intergenerational wellness, equity and opportunity are realities in every community.
WHY OUR WORK MATTERS
Lifestyle-driven chronic illness remains one of the most urgent health challenges facing Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, NC. under-resourced communities experience the highest rates of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, while also facing the lowest access to culturally-aligned nutrition education, affordable produce and optimal wellness support. Far from individual failures, these rates represent predictable outcomes of systemic inequity.
Many of the neighborhoods we serve live with what public health experts call food apartheid, which is a system where race, income and geography shape who has access to fresh, affordable foods and who doesn't. It’s not solely about distance to a grocery store, it’s about the political, social and economic decisions that create health gaps in the first place.
Power is Giving helps bridge these gaps by expanding access to culturally aligned, expert-led whole food, plant-based lifestyle education, healthy food initiatives and practical resources in trusted community spaces where individuals and families feel seen, heard and supported.
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?
Power is Giving is the region's only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to providing free, culturally aligned whole food, plant-based lifestyle education designed to address the disproportionate burden of lifestyle-driven chronic illness in historically underserved communities.
Through nationally recognized physicians, chefs, certified nutrition professionals and elite athlete mentors with shared lived experience, we expand access to expert-led programs, healthy food initiatives and practical resources delivered in trusted community spaces. By combining education with opportunities to learn, taste, move and engage, we help individuals and families experience firsthand the benefits associated with whole food, plant-based lifestyle practices.
WFPB LIFESTYLE BENEFITS
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High protein, high fiber, low caloric and nutrient-dense
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Helps to significantly lower inflammation, cholesterol and blood sugar
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Helps to improve immune function
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Helps to improve sleep, mood and mental clarity
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Supports the prevention and arrest of the progression of numerous autoimmune diseases
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Supports the prevention, arrest and reversal of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and most cancers
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Provides tools that support improved quality of life