On a sweltering hot day in late June, a vibrant crowd gathered in a local park where tents, tables, and a DJ marked  the Fourth Annual Seed Donation event hosted by Northeast Homeowners and Concerned Citizens in collaboration with Mahoning Valley Food Access Director, Sophia Buggs. Beneath one of the shaded canopies, Sophia stood surrounded by trays of starter plants including bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, collard greens, kale, and okra ready to be shared with the community. “The important thing about this program and the seed [donation event],” she explained, “is that we celebrate the seed. Something that is indigenous to the growth and enhancement of a community. Where there is no food and there is no food sovereignty people can’t just continue. So this is a way for us to add cushion to people who are growing gardens and farms to continue growing for themselves”. This community event was the first of four events launching  the Plant Power! Initiative which was developed to provide the community with free plants for the summer growing season.  

  The roots of the Healthy Community Partnership’s Plant Power! Food Sovereignty Initiative can be traced back to a simple shared definitions exercise in a small basement meeting room in Warren in the winter of 2024. What began as a discussion defining terms like “food desert,” “food apartheid,” and “food sovereignty” quickly deepened into a larger conversation about their team’s approach to their work and strategies to accomplish their mission. The team recognized that their former name, “Healthy Food Retail,” emphasized brick-and-mortar grocery and corner stores, which after reflection on the vast totality of the food system felt too narrow,  and out of touch with the broader scope of their food systems work. Team members wanted to make it clear that they were moving to expand their focus and show that grocery stores alone are not enough to accomplish increased access to foods especially over a longer period of time..Instead, increasing access to healthy foods requires shifting power over the local food system away from private business interests and closer towards the local community. The team adopted a new name, “Healthy Food Action Team,” with an expanded but clarified focus on growing the local food system in the Mahoning Valley from the ground up by shifting energy and investments  to programming and projects that empower local aspiring growers. 

The Plant Power! Food Sovereignty Initiative then began at the beginning of May 2025 when the Healthy Food Action Team unanimously voted to use all of their discretionary funds to purchase and distribute herbs and vegetables to community members. The effort was spearheaded by Sevasti Tripoulas from Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership and Sophia Buggs from Plant It YOU and the Mahoning Valley Food Access Initiative. Together with Jessica Romeo from Mercy Health and a dietetics intern from Mercy named Jade McBride who was working with Jessica this summer, they developed an operations plan and outlined the goals of the project. Their vision was to encourage healthier eating, strengthen the local food system, and lay the foundation for an initiative focused on building a strong, equitable food future for the Mahoning Valley. When considering what to call this new initiative,  the team referred back to the shared definition of food sovereignty, provided by the Food Sovereignty Alliance, that they had previously adopted back and moved forward with Jessica’s suggestion: Plant Power The Alliance’s definition for food sovereignty reads as follows: “the right of all peoples to have healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods”. 

They selected four locations for their inaugural plant giveaways: two in Warren and two in Youngstown.They chose locations and/or events located in neighborhoods that continue to experience the effects of food apartheid, where limited access to healthy food stems from systemic inequalities. Some of the events identified include Quinby Park Juneteenth Celebration, Highland Terrace Pop Up Market, The McGuffey & Berkeley Pocket Park Seed Donation Event, and the Cornerstone Collective market.. Many events also featured physical activity opportunities for community members to get moving for their health with activities such as line dancing to highlight and reinforce  the value of communities focusing on whole body health. 

To ensure cultural relevance, the team chose plants that would be familiar and meaningful to the local neighborhoods. If plants were not available, the team offered seed packets as a replacement. . The Ohio State University Extension also provided the team with growing guides for each plant, equipping participants with knowledge to support their success. Additionally, recipients received a flyer with information about local farmers markets in Trumbull and Mahoning counties, helping them connect with sources of fresh, locally grown produce in addition to the opportunity to grow their own. 

By the end June, the team successfully distributed all $800 worth of plants and connected with hundreds of community members, providing them with the tools and knowledge needed to nourish themselves and their families through homegrown gardens. The success of the Plant Power! Food Sovereignty Initiative is just one step in taking control of the local food system. By investing in local growers, supporting culturally meaningful foods, and embedding food access into broader community celebrations, the Healthy Food Action Team has taken another step toward their shared dream of a more equitable food future for the Mahoning Valley.