A Better Initiative is building practical, community-informed solutions to food insecurity and preventable chronic disease in Paterson. Through affordable food access, wellness education and evidence-based prevention programs, we help residents take meaningful action toward healthier lives.
About A Better Initiative
Access. Action. Advocacy.
A Better Initiative is a Paterson-based nonprofit working to improve food access, prevent chronic disease and help residents build healthier lives with dignity.
We believe better health requires more than information. People also need affordable food, trusted support, practical tools and programs designed around the realities of their lives.
Our work connects nutrition education, healthy-food affordability, chronic-disease prevention and community advocacy. Instead of telling residents what they should do, we listen, identify the barriers standing in their way and create practical solutions with them.
Our Mission
Our mission is to improve community health by increasing access to affordable, nourishing food; providing practical wellness education; advancing chronic-disease prevention; and advocating for community-informed solutions to food insecurity.
Our Vision
We envision a community where every resident can access nourishing food, prevent avoidable illness and make informed health decisions—regardless of income, neighborhood or insurance status.
We are not waiting for change. We are building it.
Our Programs
Our programs connect affordable, nourishing food with practical education and chronic-disease prevention. Each initiative is designed around dignity, choice and the everyday realities of the residents we serve.
A Better Path
A Better Path is ABI’s yearlong, in-person diabetes prevention lifestyle change program. A Better Initiative has been awarded Preliminary Recognition through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program.
The program helps eligible adults make sustainable changes in nutrition, physical activity, stress management and other habits that can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.
Better Food Bucks™
Better Food Bucks™ helps residents who do not receive SNAP purchase more fresh produce. Participants receive a dollar-for-dollar produce incentive, increasing their purchasing power while preserving their ability to choose the foods that work for their households.
Community Nutrition and Wellness
ABI provides practical nutrition education, healthy-shopping guidance, food demonstrations, family wellness activities and hands-on workshops through community, school, faith-based and healthcare partnerships.
Our Story
A Better Initiative grew from the community work of A Better Market, Paterson’s first healthy corner store.
Through daily conversations with customers, we saw that many residents wanted to eat healthier but faced barriers including rising food costs, limited access to fresh produce, transportation challenges and health programs that did n
A Better Initiative grew from the community work of A Better Market, Paterson’s first healthy corner store.
Through daily conversations with customers, we saw that many residents wanted to eat healthier but faced barriers including rising food costs, limited access to fresh produce, transportation challenges and health programs that did not reflect their needs.
We also recognized that traditional food assistance often addresses an immediate need without giving residents enough choice, continuity or opportunity to invest in their own health.
A Better Initiative was created to help close those gaps.
While A Better Market provides a neighborhood place to purchase healthy food, A Better Initiative develops charitable health and food-access programs that expand affordability, education and preventive care throughout the community.
What Makes Our Approach Different
We meet people where they are.
Our programs are built around dignity, choice and realistic action. We do not assume that every person experiencing food insecurity is unemployed, receiving government assistance or able to visit a food pantry during traditional business hours.
We serve working families, older adults, young people and resident
We meet people where they are.
Our programs are built around dignity, choice and realistic action. We do not assume that every person experiencing food insecurity is unemployed, receiving government assistance or able to visit a food pantry during traditional business hours.
We serve working families, older adults, young people and residents who may earn too much to qualify for assistance but still struggle to afford healthy food after paying for housing, transportation and other necessities.
Nothing we create should surprise the community we serve—because the community helps us create it.
Our Impact
Our Impact
Through A Better Market’s participation in City Green’s Good Food Bucks program, SNAP customers receive a 50 percent discount on fresh fruits and vegetables. As Passaic County’s first and only Good Food Bucks retailer, A Better Market has completed more than 800 incentive transactions and helped local families save over $6,000 in SNAP be
Through A Better Market’s participation in City Green’s Good Food Bucks program, SNAP customers receive a 50 percent discount on fresh fruits and vegetables. As Passaic County’s first and only Good Food Bucks retailer, A Better Market has completed more than 800 incentive transactions and helped local families save over $6,000 in SNAP benefits while purchasing fresh produce. The program allows residents to stretch limited grocery budgets, bring more nourishing food home and choose the fruits and vegetables their families will actually eat.
Join Us
Help Our Cause
Your contribution helps expand access to fresh food, practical nutrition education and community-based chronic-disease prevention programs.