Healthy Neighborhood Stores Alliance (HNSA) 

The Healthy Neighborhood Stores Alliance (HNSA) supports an evolutionary movement in West Oakland to create a food secure community. MMPlace’s focus on increasing retail access points for affordable fresh, healthy foods and improving neighborhood walkability complement community-wide efforts in nutrition education and community gardening.

Mandela's West Oakland Youth Standing Empowered (WYSE) team manage and conduct all aspects of the HNSA project -- including building alliances between store owners, community members and Mandela MarketPlace to improve community health and well-being.  HNSA is a produce service program that supplies affordable, quality produce to area corner markets, thus improving the store environment and its relationship in the community.

Through their partnership with the Ashoka Youth Ventures program, our WYSE youth team were able to purchase bicycles and trailers as green transportation to deliver produce to West Oakland corner markets.