Resources

Below are general resources to get you started. For specific examples visit the Index.

ACTIVE LIVING

• Mileage Equivalence Calculator

• How to Make a Story walk (pdf)

• How to Start a Walking Club 

• 100 Mile Challenge NC State Parks  

• The Walking Classroom

• Choose a Dance Workout Routine

• Find a Contra, Square Dance, or Waltz Group Near You

• Guide to Running a Youth Sports Camp

• A Resource for all things Hula Hoop

• How to Build a Natural Playscape

• How to Plan a 5K

• Kid Swimming Resources from USA Swimming Foundation

• Youth Fitness: Principles for Effective Programming
• How to Build Your Own Mountain Biking Trail
• Creating Maps for Your Walks

FOCUS ON COMMUNITY

• Community Conversation Guide

• Icebreaker Ideas 

• Resource Guide for Protecting Watersheds

• Toolkit from the Healthy Corner Store Initiative

• NC Community Garden Partners (Includes a Statewide Directory of Community Gardens!)

• How to Start a Community Council 

• Guide to "Pay-What-You-Can" Models 

• NC's Small Business Center Network 

• How to Create a Mini-Park (pdf)

• Guide to Making a Gravel Walking Path

• NOAA’s Guide to River Restoration

• Creating a Business Plan 

HEALTHY EATING

• Community Dear Donation Program (pdf)

• Best Items to Donate to a Food Pantry 

• Switching to Pantry of Choice Guide

• Cooking Demo Guide from the American Heart Association (pdf)

• Healthy Food Stoplight Signs (pdf)   

• Guide to Gardening for a Food Bank

• Start a Teaching Kitchen 

• Collard Greens and Common Ground: A North Carolina Community Food Garden Handbook

• NC State's Guide to Starting a CSA 

• School Garden Guide

• Guide to Food Preservation from the Cooperative Extension

• OldWays: Cultural Food Tradition

• Growing Minds: Farm to School 

• The Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program Toolkit (pdf)

MANAGE & PREVENT DISEASE

• Cooperative Extension: Cooking Matters

• Eat Smart Move More: Get Your Heart Pumping English  

• Greene County Community Diabetes Walk Flyer

• Start a Community Walk

• Walking Workouts to Prevent Diabetes

• Diabetes Bingo 

• Diabetes Education Games

• Program Evaluation Templates 

• Understanding Blood Pressure Readings  

• Tips on Checking Your Own Blood Pressure 

• Conducting a Workshop

• Guide to the Digestive System

INCREASE FOOD ACCESS

• How to Start and Run a Successful CSA 

• CSA Guide from NC State

• How to Accept SNAP/EBT 

• How to Organize a Community Garden from NC Cooperative Extension (pdf) 

• How to Start a Food Pantry

• Find a Food Ministry

• Cooperative Extension’s Guide to CSAs  

• Eat Smart Move More’s Guide to Starting a Community Garden (pdf)  

• Guide to Youth Gardening

• Wingate/Smyrna UMC & Wingate University Aquaponics System (pdf) 

• Starting Your Own Backyard Flock? Here Are Some Things You Should Consider

FUNDING

• Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation: This foundation provides grants from $5,000-$25,000 for nonprofits and public agencies in any community that has a Lowe's Home Improvement Store 

• Walmart Community Grant Program: Grants from $250-$2,500 are awarded through Walmart Stores, Sam's Clubs, and Logistics Facilities and are open to nonprofits, recognized government entities, schools, and faith-based organizations 

• PNC Foundation: This foundation supports community-based nonprofits within the areas served by PNC Bank 

• Sheetz Corporate Giving: Sheetz provides financial contributions, volunteer hours, and in-kind donations for organizations in their service area 

• Vidant Health's Community Benefit Grants Program: This program provides grants from $1,000-$100,000 to organizations that positively impact the health of people who live in the communities of Eastern NC where Vidant Health works 

• Resourceful Communities' Creating New Economies Fund: This program provides grants from $8,000-$12,000 to invest in community-based efforts that support environmental stewardship, sustainable economic development, and social justice 

• North Carolina Community Foundation: This foundation is made up of a network of affiliates that provide grants to 67 counties across North Carolina

• Community Foundation of Western North Carolina: This foundation provides grants to non-profits and public agencies in Western North Carolina

DATA

• Community Commons: A free resource where you can find data on health and disparities broken down to the county level, and create maps illustrating this data 

  • You will need to make a free account to access most of the resources 

  • Here's a guide to everything you can do with this website 

  • An easy way to start is by creating your own Community Health Needs Assessment using these instructions 

• County Health Rankings: This free resource shows county-wide health data and lets you compare this data between counties 

  • Here's a guide to using this website 

  • Here's how other communities have used this data 

• Enigma Public: A free catalog of worldwide public data. You can search for national or global data on health, agriculture, economic, and more.  

  • Sign up for free here 

  • Get started within the United States

OTHER RESOURCES

• Best Practices for Working with Youth:  This guide contains great information for anyone working with youth

• Photo Release Template: Sample photo release form (pdf version)

• How to Craft an Elevator Pitch

• The Science of Storytelling

• Toolkits from Community Food Strategies: Includes guides for advocacy, developing community forums, organizing food councils, and more

• Working with Local Governments

  • How to Approach Elected Officials​

  • Basics of Local Governments

  • Handouts from Resourceful Communities' Local Government Workshop (pdf)

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