BIO

MS. ERICKA
L.
STEWART

"Break The Cycle of Trauma: 1 Meal At A Time "

Ms. Ericka L Stewart celebrates 15 + years of experience and discipline within the Human Services field. Through dedication and education she has invested her time into aggressively pursuing her career development serving marginalized communities specifically; people living with HIV & AIDS, Behavioral, Mental, Intellectual, and challenges; also survivors of trauma associated with Domestic, Child & Substance Abuse. While serving individuals, families, and communities; she continuously demonstrates compassion and dedication to enhance lives through conservation and sustainability within the lives of endangered children.

Most people find it hard to see a clear link between literacy and nutrition. That is how my organization “Everyone, Love Someone- The Social Entrepreneur Brand,’ aims to encourage Philly youth to make choices to live healthy and motivated lifestyles through literacy and constant positive reinforcement. We provide stimulating activities, that contribute to personal growth inside and outside of the classroom. Our approach is one that serves families, and communities by demonstrating graceful compassion and in hopes that the communities we work with will in return the favor to one another.

About The Social Impact Cafe

One of our community invested projects, The Social Impact Cafe is a new approach to food and literacy that is needed in light of the poor nutritional health status of Philadelphians and beyond living in poverty with food insecurities. We embrace food-related habits, environments, and norms through reading food-related literature whether a restaurant review, recipes from cookbooks, as well as nutritional labels.

We believe these youth serve as role models that possess an understanding of food and its uses, the concept of “food literacy” or being food literate is being explored as a new approach to food that has the potential to facilitate healthy food relationships. Through partnering with local restaurants and eateries to serve as hosts; we intend to translate food literacy and well-being knowledge and skills through familial, cultural, educational, and private businesses.

Food literacy extends beyond nutritional recommendations and culinary lessons, to fostering important and vital connections between food, people, health, and the environment both theoretically and practically.

Integrating current constructs of food literacy presented in the literature such as magazines, menus, and recipe books; exploring the importance of educating for food literacy in order to rectify issues raised with respect to current food-related concerns and ideologies.

Our vision to “Breaking the Cycle of Trauma: One Meal at a Time,” we use food as a point of connection between communities at large and their diverse members. We hope that time “breaking bread” will lead to less time being idle, as most traumatic experiences spring out of idleness.

Our work relies on a lot of community involvement. The saying ‘it takes a village,’ serves as the basis to reach and serve the community. We are glad to have the generosity of a growing network of local entrepreneurs, educational dignitaries, religious aficionados, elected officials, and law enforcement. All of these community members have helped our organization to engage in the community and provide opportunities for out-of-school enrichment