Newsroom | Community Health

Stacey Minor, founder and CEO of Sweet Potato Patch, has a vision to bring fresh and healthy foods to Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods with help from the American Heart Association and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.  

As a child, Minor, who grew up on the South Side, took long car rides with her family to go grocery shopping because there were few stores near her home. These days, the South Side’s estimated 753,000 residents still don’t have many places near their homes where they can buy fresh foods. Minor’s goal is to offer more convenient and healthier options. 

Using a grant from the AHA's Social Impact Fund, which Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois supports, Minor is growing her business by expanding a home delivery service she piloted and working with black farmers in Georgia to establish a steady supply of produce.