Bringing Nutrition and Health Education to the Community: MIRA’s New Program with The Community Market

At Eagle Valley Community Foundation, we believe that food is not only fuel—it’s a foundation for community health and connection. Through our MIRA program’s new partnership with The Community Market, we are bringing health education, nutritious food, and preventative care directly to the people who need it most.

In a county where nearly 40% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, we are committed to meeting families where they are, in the language they speak, with culturally relevant resources that make a difference. The majority of MIRA visitors identify as Latino, Spanish-speaking, and/or immigrants, and many face barriers to traditional healthcare access including transportation, cost, and documentation status. This program helps fill those gaps.

A National Issue With Local Impact

Across the United States, nutrition-related chronic diseases are a growing crisis—especially in Latino communities:

• Latinos are 1.7 times more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to be diagnosed with diabetes, and nearly 1 in 2 Latino adults are expected to develop the condition in their lifetime.
• Heart disease is the second leading cause of death for Latinos in the U.S., often driven by lack of access to early screenings, preventive care, and healthy food.
• According to the USDA, 20% of Latino households experience food insecurity, which means they lack reliable access to affordable, nutritious food.
• The CDC reports that Latinos are less likely to have a regular source of medical care, making community-based models like MIRA even more essential.

Our work is directly addressing these disparities in Eagle County, where health and nutrition gaps mirror national trends.

Health and Nutrition, Side by Side

This year, the MIRA bus and The Community Market are teaming up to offer a holistic nutrition education initiative. Bilingual educational materials and presentations on cancer prevention, heart health, and lung disease are being shared in neighborhoods across the valley. Our health educators are delivering cooking demonstrations and workshops that teach how to prepare easy, affordable meals with the fresh produce provided through The Community Market.

Each recipe we share is designed with chronic disease prevention in mind—building awareness about the role of nutrition in preventing and managing diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions that disproportionately impact Latino communities.

Pairing Fresh Food with Preventative Care

What makes this program especially impactful is its integration of food access with on-site medical support. During each Mobile Market stop, community members can also receive free screenings on board the MIRA bus for heart health and diabetes. These services—often unavailable or unaffordable for uninsured families—provide immediate feedback, connect individuals with follow-up care, and open the door for life-saving early detection.

Community Reach and Growing Impact

Through this partnership, we plan to distribute healthy food to more than 4,800 people across Eagle County this year. With an average of 50 individuals served per market, we are connecting thousands of residents—many of them Latino families—with not just food, but education, trust, and care.

We’ve already received enthusiastic feedback from parents who bring their children to learn about healthy eating, from seniors who feel empowered to make informed food choices, and from neighbors who’ve never had access to preventative health services before.

Lifting Health Equity Through Collaboration

This program is rooted in the belief that everyone—regardless of background, income, or immigration status—deserves the opportunity to lead a healthy life. By delivering nutritious food alongside tailored health education and screenings, MIRA and The Community Market are building a future where our Latino neighbors and all Eagle County families can thrive.

This is more than a program. It’s a community-led movement for health equity, connection, and dignity.