Driving Community Action to Improve Access to Healthy and Affordable Food

A public gathering outside a grocery store, where a speaker addresses community members with a megaphone while attendees hold signs advocating for healthy food

The Challenge

At a grocery store checkout counter, a staff member bags fresh leafy greens for a customer, highlighting access to fresh produce in a retail food setting

In the heart of our nation's capital, food insecurity continues to be a profound challenge, disproportionately affecting Wards 7 and 8, where longstanding gaps in access have limited the availability of fresh, affordable food. Thousands of residents rely on just a handful of full-service grocery stores, underscoring the structural barriers to healthy food access. These disparities extend beyond nutrition, affecting health outcomes, economic opportunity, and overall quality of life. To raise awareness and drive lasting change, DC Greens needed support to mobilize the community and amplify advocacy efforts around food insecurity.

Our Solution

To support DC Greens’ efforts to address food access barriers, IQ Solutions planned and executed a targeted Facebook and Instagram campaign promoting a community Grocery Walk in Wards 7 and 8. Our team used zip code-level targeting and platform-specific objectives to reach priority audiences. We developed a suite of digital ads featuring community-centered imagery, advocacy-driven messaging, and energizing calls-to-action, deployed across mobile and social platforms, with ongoing monitoring and optimization to maximize engagement.

Sponsored dc_greens social media post showing shoppers browsing fresh produce in a small grocery store, with a “Sign Up” call-to-action and caption text about access to healthy foods.

The Impact

With just over $200, the campaign reached more than 23,000 Ward 7 and 8 residents, sparked 100 event responses, and mobilized more than 500 participants—including six city council members—to take part in a two-mile walk highlighting the area's limited availability of healthy food. This effort generated widespread media attention and helped drive a $3 million city investment to expand fresh food options in underserved communities.

$3M
Secured in funding to strengthen neighborhood food infrastructure
100+
Community members and policymakers mobilized to participate in a high visibility demonstration

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