Many Baltimore City residents live in food deserts, where access to wholesome food is scarce. Several Baltimore nonprofits are placing farm-fresh produce in low-income neighborhoods and offering nutrition counseling.

Students from around the nation come to Tai Sophia Institute to learn about herbal medicine, nutrition and acupuncture. As national interest in wellness grows, the Howard County school is adding new programs, growing enrollment and seeking university status. 

New Media has always been only as important as its users make it. Certainly there's marginal value in a Twitter post about a great new restaurant or a Facebook pic of a birthday party. Such things, however, do little to add lasting value. In Baltimore and elsewhere there are people facing serious health troubles and finding in blogs, Facebook, and other online outlets a chance to build communities that wouldn't have been possible a decade ago. Here, Bmore Media's Katharine Schildt tracks down some of their stories.