Sprouts Awards Valley Children’s Two Grants to Support Youth Nutrition and Healing

Published September 24, 2026

CLOVIS, Calif. – Valley Children’s has received two $5,000 grants from the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation to support programs focused on nutrition, wellness and community health – both on campus and in local schools.

One grant will help launch the Knights Serving Knights Healthy Snack Cart Program at Bullard High School in Fresno, while the second will support the hospital’s Roots of Resilience therapeutic gardening program. The awards are part of more than $2.7 million distributed by Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation to organizations across the country.

Dr. Carmela Sosa, medical director of the Guilds Center for Community Health at Valley Children’s, said the grants align closely with the hospital’s mission to improve children’s health both inside and outside the hospital setting.

“We know that approximately 80% of the factors that influence one’s health have to do with the environment in which someone is born, lives, learns, plays and works,” Dr. Sosa said. “To continuously improve the health and well-being of children, we must look at all facets of a child’s life that impact health outcomes.”

At Bullard High School, the grant will support a student-designed and student-led initiative aimed at increasing access to healthy snacks throughout the school day. Developed by students in the school’s Law and Social Justice Career Technical Education Pathway, the snack cart will offer grab-and-go fruits, vegetables and other healthy options during passing periods and after school.

The program is designed to address barriers that can make healthy eating difficult for teens, including affordability, convenience and food insecurity. In Fresno County, more than one in five children live in food-insecure households.

While improving access to nutritious food is important at any school, Dr. Sosa said the student leadership component makes the project especially meaningful.

“This project was student designed, and I feel extremely honored to have the opportunity to help them see this work through,” Dr. Sosa said.

Students will also create peer-focused educational materials connecting nutrition with stress management, energy, focus and emotional well-being.

The second grant will support Roots of Resilience, a therapeutic gardening program at Valley Children’s that serves pediatric patients, families, staff, volunteers and survivors. This marks the third consecutive year that Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation has funded the program.

What began as a pilot project has grown into a research-integrated healing garden that serves several hundred participants each year. The program combines hands-on gardening with education on nutrition, sustainability and plant-based medicine while promoting emotional wellness and community connection.

Funding will help expand programming, strengthen garden infrastructure and support outreach efforts as other hospitals explore opportunities to replicate the model.

Dr. Sosa said community grants play a critical role in helping organizations address health disparities and create opportunities for children and families.

“Grants of any size that serve the community are extremely important to the children and teens we see every day,” Dr. Sosa said. “Grants help close gaps, inequities, and provide opportunities that might not otherwise be available.”

She also expressed gratitude to Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation for its continued support.

“Through this grant, we do not only get to serve local youth,” Dr. Sosa said. “We get to mentor our youth leaders as they develop skills and are empowered to advance equity through service.”