Guest Columnists: Check can stimulate community health

The relationship between income and happiness is interesting. Once basic needs are met, spending on others makes people happier than spending on one's self, according to a study published recently in Science.

After rating their current state of happiness, participants received $20. Some were instructed to spend the money on an expense, or a gift for themselves, while others were instructed to spend it on someone else or make a charitable donation.

Afterward, participants again reported their happiness. The results were striking. Those who spent on others reported greater post-windfall happiness than those who spent on themselves.

Many Americans are about to experience a "windfall" of their own in the form of "economic stimulus" tax rebate checks. To be sure, for a growing number this money will be directed toward basic needs: unpaid bills, overdue rent, etc. But for many it will be used to satisfy "wants" rather than "needs."

What if we could collectively maximize our happiness by using some portion of this money to invest in making our communities more vibrant, nourishing and, yes, economically stimulating places to live? And since food is not only a vital human need but can also in and of itself be a source of happiness, what if we could set up something like a Food Citizens Fund?

Imagine, if half of the more well-off double-income King County households -- say those with incomes of $100,000 plus -- each donated $500 of their $1,200 rebate to a countywide FCF. The collective investment could amount to more than $35 million (generating $1,875,000 annual interest income). (In the future, the IRS could even offer an option to direct a portion of those types of payments to such a fund.)

What could we do with that kind of funding? For starters, we could support some good ideas that are taking hold in the policy arena and back them up with the funds necessary to make change a reality.

Recent legislation passed in Olympia aiming to get more high-quality food from local farms into school cafeterias and the Local Food Action Initiative that passed in Seattle are both steps in the right direction and have put a national spotlight on this region as a leader in innovative approaches to building a better food system.

A fund such as the FCF could help pay for infrastructure and equipment improvements in public school food service operations needed to shift back from convenience foods to cooking with whole foods and to enhance the cafeteria environment for school children. Food service managers could apply for grants from the fund to increase purchases of nutrient-rich locally produced foods. A vegetable garden could be started at every school and area youth could be hired to mentor younger children in the basics of planting, tending and harvesting.

This kind of fund could also boost creative programs such as nonprofit Solid Ground's Lettuce Link, where $1,200 would fund a classroom to participate in a 10-week hands-on gardening and nutrition education class at Seattle's Marra Farm. That would allow kids to experience the outdoors, savor garden fresh veggies and learn how to grow their own food, building a foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating and fun activity that will ultimately cut down on health care costs that are strapping businesses and governments alike.