Building Healthy Communities

Building Healthy Communities brings people together to ignite grassroots change and re-envision a healthy and inclusive society.

Begun nearly a decade ago, Building Healthy Communities was fostered by the nonprofit PlantPure Communities after the award-winning documentary PlantPure Nation shared a call to action that sparked a grassroots movement. Now operating under the Physicians Committee, the Building Healthy Communities leaders are empowered to support healthy, plant-based lifestyles by nurturing local connections, facilitating ongoing social support for their group members, and providing educational programming in their communities. A healthy community is not complete without considering the health of humans, nonhuman animals, society, and the planet, and the core value of the program is inclusivity.

The program’s ever-growing global reach consists of 400 independent Healthy Communities across the United States and in 29 countries. These groups reach more than 200,000 members in diverse communities in urban metropolises, villages in Africa and Asia, and small towns across the Americas.

Healthy Communities organize a wide variety of events for the community:

• Plant-based potlucks
• Healthy cooking demonstrations
• Presentations by local health experts
• Documentary film screenings
• Restaurant visits
• Book clubs
• Volunteer days at local food pantries or animal sanctuaries
• Advocacy and outreach to improve community and public health

Join a Healthy Community near you!

Connecting with a Healthy Community is free of charge and open to all. The first step is to consult our directory for a community in your area, and then contact the group via the provided email, social media page, or website. Learn more about joining a group. If a community doesn’t yet exist in your area, consider starting one yourself!

Start a Healthy Community in your area!

If you are interested in starting your own Healthy Community, you need nothing more than a passion for healthy plant-based vegan living, a willingness to organize and promote regular events, and an open heart. Healthy Communities can be led by anyone and require commitment and dedication to be successful. Existing nonprofits are also invited to join the network.

The program is completely free, and leaders are supported via regular check-ins with a team member, a Leader Support Hub of invaluable resources to help you lead and grow your group, a private Facebook page where leaders uplift each other, and a variety of exclusive leader discounts and perks. Learn more by checking out our Leader FAQs.

Apply to become a Healthy Communities Leader now!

Contact the Healthy Communities team with questions at BuildingHealthyCommunities [at] pcrm.org.