Healthy Hearts Institute
- Leilani Amores
- Aug 27
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 5
Building Equitable Pathways to Health and Wellness for All Communities
Access to nutritious food, movement, and health education should never depend on a zip code. Yet across Contra Costa County and the broader Bay Area, low-income and underserved neighborhoods still face systemic barriers to wellness — from food deserts to lack of culturally competent health resources.
Healthy Hearts Institute was founded to change that. Through hands-on education, community fitness programs, and local food justice initiatives, they are restoring health equity at the neighborhood level — ensuring that every resident, regardless of income, race, or background, has access to the tools and knowledge to thrive.
And with a mission and vision to eradicate food deserts and empower communities through health education, fitness, and sustainable wellness initiatives that promote lifelong change.
They step forward to build a future where health is not a privilege, but a right — and where the strength of a community is measured by the well-being of its people.
Healthy Hearts believes transformation begins with access but thrives through education and empowerment. By bridging health disparities and creating opportunities for movement, learning, and connection, they are helping communities build a new foundation for collective vitality.
What They Offer
Healthy Hearts Institute provides a wide range of classes, bootcamps, and community programs that make healthy living accessible, engaging, and sustainable:
Nutrition & Wellness Education — Classes on meal planning, balanced diets, and lifestyle habits that help families make informed, long-term health decisions.
Food Justice Programs — Initiatives that tackle food insecurity head-on by connecting communities to fresh produce and teaching sustainable gardening and cooking skills.
Fitness Bootcamps & Movement Programs — Strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and community fitness sessions that build not only physical endurance, but confidence and connection.
Mindfulness & Yoga — Classes that center emotional regulation, stress management, and mental well-being — helping participants develop healthier relationships with their bodies and minds.
Community Empowerment Projects — Neighborhood-level leadership and volunteer opportunities that train residents to advocate for systemic change in local health infrastructure.
Why Their Work Matters
When fresh food and fitness are out of reach, chronic illness becomes normalized. Healthy Hearts Institute is disrupting that pattern by bringing resources to where they’re needed most, and by empowering people to take ownership of their well-being.
Their work matters because it addresses the deeper systems that shape health — not just the symptoms. They remind us that community wellness isn’t achieved through charity, but through shared responsibility, access, and education.
Healthy Hearts isn’t just promoting healthy living — they’re creating a culture of collective care and sustainable change.
How to Connect
Based in the Bay Area, serving Contra Costa County and beyond
Learn more about classes, bootcamps, and wellness programs online
Partnership Acknowledgment
The organizations featured in our Miles of Connections profiles are part of a county-wide effort to advance health, healing, and well-being within Contra Costa’s Black communities. Along with The Miles Hall Foundation, twelve organizations received funding through Contra Costa County to expand culturally rooted care and community support.
This work is built from the voices of over 4,000 Black residents who shaped the vision for a stronger ecosystem of services. In response, on August 12, 2025, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the launch of what will become the Federal Glover African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub — a coordinated network of Black-led wellness services to be anchored in East County.
The Contra Costa Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (ORESJ), in partnership with the East Bay Community Foundation, is supporting this first cohort of organizations to ensure services reach the community now while the Hub’s long-term infrastructure is built.
As part of this initiative, The Miles Hall Foundation leads the “Miles of Connections” outreach effort, helping residents learn about, access, and connect with these vital healing resources.
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