PGH Lab 7.0 — Royally Fit
A Heath and Wellness collaboration with the Department of City Planning
Founded and owned by Domenique Watkins Wise Sr. and Aquene Watkins-Wise, Royally Fit was created to support diversity, equity, and inclusion through its community wellness programming. Royally Fit collaborated with the Office of City Planning’s Sustainability & Resilience Division, working in the Hill District, offering a series of food wellness workshops to help educate residents on healthy foods and food preparation. This series culminated in a larger health and wellness fair towards the pilot’s conclusion.
Check out this two-minute overview of the city-startup collaboration showcasing our city and company team!
Do you know your food…
How many of us can truly say we know where our food comes from? Plant care, ingredient preparation, and nutritional food selection are some of the specialty services offered by Royally Fit. Throughout the course of their PGH Lab pilot, Royally Fit worked in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, teaching residents all about healthy foods and how nutrition contributes to a healthier lifestyle.
Royally Fit hosted a series of events for the neighborhood that was twofold for each resident: first, residents participated in sessions that taught them about a specific plant; second, they learned how to care for it, store it, harvest it, and cook it in a health-conscious dish. Participants were then given a free plant to take home with them free of charge.
How do you grow this anyway…
“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” The service Royally Fit provides to residents teaches them how to not only eat heathier but grow healthier supports too. Once residents receive their free plant and care instructions, they are empowered to start their own gardens at home and put what they learned at the workshop into practice. Fresh produce can be both expensive and hard to store. By teaching residents to grow their own food we can help lower food insecurity and make sure they have access to nutritionally dense food year-round. Gardening, as was mentioned by participants, was not only providing them fresh food. It was also giving them a sense of ownership and pride throughout the season as they watched their labors take shape.
At the end of the workshop series, participants walked away with a garden full of plants from every session they attended, many ready to produce year-round nutrition.
It’s time to feast…
At the end of their pilot, Royally hosted a community showcase in the Hill District bringing together both the participants who attended sessions and the greater community. Food, additional plants, and information were provided for anyone wanting to start their own garden.
Wellness isn’t an action but a journey, and Royally Fit found purpose in guiding their community members through it. Their program acted as a nexus and strength-builder for the community and for the City of Pittsburgh.
Food wellness can be challenging, but with more partnerships like Royally Fit, the City can help residents work together to achieve a more wholistic and balanced lifestyle that works for them.
PGH Lab 8.0 is launching soon. Stay tuned for our next cohort announcement.
