The owners of an Upper Arlington restaurant that focuses on locally sourced, pesticide-free foods will launch a foundation in August that they hope will help facilitate conversations about mental health and the role of nutrition in overall wellness.
from the opening silver bristle at Shops on Lane Avenue in July 2019, John and Sunny Fahlgren sought to “celebrate food at the highest level” with a menu that focuses primarily on local and natural offerings.
SOW is an acronym for sustainable, organic, and wellness.
The couple plans to continue the message that healthy eating can help foster healthy bodies and minds by establishing the Wall of Hope Foundation, which, according to John Fahlgren, will seek to provide fresh, high-quality, nutrient-dense meals for families with mental health problems. crisis while educating people about the critical role of food in optimizing mental health.
After raising initial funds, establishing a board of directors and partnering with The Columbus Foundation, a 501c3 that helps donors and others strengthen the community, the Fahlgrens will announce the establishment of the Wall of Hope Foundation at a OAR concert on August 7 at Kemba Live. An advisory board of Wall of Hope founding partners will provide strategic advice to the foundation.
“Our focus has been more … trying to see the whole person,” Fahlgren said. “We certainly believe in medication, but we also believe in approaching the mental health conversation proactively. That means self-preservation, taking time for yourself, yoga, eating right.
“Nutrition has been a too often overlooked part of the mental health equation. We know there is an evidence-based relationship that food has with our brain. We’re just trying to bring awareness to the fact that that we are what we eat.”
Several studies in the last 20 years have attempted to further examine the relationship between food and mood. One, published in January 2020 by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, an independent scientific association dedicated to the science and treatment of brain disorders, found evidence that a Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables and olive oil, shows benefits for mental health, such as providing some protection against depression and anxiety.
Through the foundation, the Fahlgrens intend to raise $150,000 by August 1 to fund a kickoff campaign called Operation Hope. Much of this funding will come from a small group of families and businesses aligned with this movement, said John Fahlgren.
Under SOW Plated, a “rounding up” program will be instituted through which restaurant customers can choose to round the amount they pay for their checks to the nearest dollar, with 100% of the money raised directly supporting the foundation’s initiatives .
Fahlgren said the Wall of Hope Foundation’s outreach is still developing, but the plans are for the money it raises to support educational materials about the role nutrient-dense foods play in mental health wellness in places like the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University, Grandview Heights High School, Upper Arlington High School, and The Wellington School.
“We’re going to start with the Tri-Village High Schools as a more hyper-local part of this,” Fahlgren said. “Beyond that, we ultimately want to reach out to every central Ohio high school and provide educational tools — books, videos, etc.”
The foundation would also provide funding for educational materials and emergency food assistance for families facing mental health crises while in the Ronald McDonald Ward at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion.
At OSU, Fahlgren said, the foundation will provide meals to patients and staff at Harding Hospital “or similar, as suggested by our OSU partners,” as well as fund clinical research projects within OSU Wexner Medical Center studying The relationship between food and mood.
“We need more people like John and Sunny to elevate the conversation,” said Dr. K. Luan Phan, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at OSU Wexner Medical Center. “They are passionate about the connection between the science of nutrition and how what we eat can heal us.
“Any time I can bring together individuals, businesses, and community resources around a cause like this, amazing things like the Wall of Hope Foundation will take shape and make an impact. To cultivate community mental health and wellness, we need as many science and evidence based approaches as possible beyond what is provided in clinical settings and by clinical providers We all need to be involved in our health and in this case think about how and what we eat might have tremendous impact — positive — and negative — on our mood and cognition.”
Phan said OSU Wexner officials decided to partner with the Wall of Hope Foundation because “the need for research to better understand the causes (of mental illness) and explore new and innovative treatments is critical if we want to cure our children, families and communities.” .”
While more details are expected in the coming months, Fahlgren said the foundation also intends to launch a public service announcement campaign that will feature numerous celebrities, athletes and others with connections to central Ohio who have been affected by mental illness.
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