|
|
Healthy in a Hurry Corner Stores
How do you turn a food desert into an oasis? One way is by increasing the accessibility and availability of healthy food. In partnership with the YMCA, we have been working with neighborhood corner stores on selling fresh fruits and vegetables (some of which is locally grown). A group of students at Meyzeek Middle School named the initiative “Healthy in a Hurry.” The goal is to expand to other stores throughout the city because everyone deserves access to fresh, affordable produce.
The Healthy in a Hurry initiative started in 2009 and makes it possible for grocers in neighborhoods known as food deserts to carry fresh produce and other healthy foods that might otherwise not be available.
If you own or operate a small neighborhood convenience or corner store and would like to offer fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables to your customers, you may qualify to receive financial assistance and become a Healthy in a Hurry Corner Store. Contact Sasha Belenky at 502-498-6342 or sbelenky@ymcalouisville.org for more information.
There are currently six Health in a Hurry locations:
- Shawnee Market at 208 Amy Street in the French Plaza.
- Parkway Food Mart at 1201 W. Hill St.
- Berrytown YMCA at 1300 Heafer Rd.
- Farm Boy Food Mart at 1200 Dixie Hwy.
- Webb's Market at 944 E. Muhammad Ali
- Happy Food Mart at 1201 Cecil Ave.
- Curtis Market at 2720 Duncan St.
“A healthy choice should be an easy choice,” said Steve Tarver, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Louisville. “Breaking down barriers and providing access for people who want to eat healthy, but may not always have the opportunity, is our goal and Healthy in a Hurry is helping to make that happen.”
The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius visited Louisville to highlight the city’s award of a $7.9 million grant through HHS’ Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The grant will fund 23 city-wide projects that will, among other things, make healthier foods available in schools, assist students to grow produce, build community infrastructure to encourage biking and walking, and make fresh produce more readily available by implementing more Healthy in a Hurry stores.
To learn more about Louisville’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant click here.
Updated December 12, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.
Louisville Opens Two New "Healthy in a hurry Stres"
Louisville is opening its sixth and seventh “Healthy in a Hurry” Corner Stores in the Chickasaw and Portland neighborhoods where fresh fruits and vegetables had not readily been available. The “Healthy in a Hurry” initiative is part of the Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement which received a $7.9 million federal Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) in March 2010.
The new Healthy in a Hurry store in Chickasaw is the Happy Food Mart located at 1201 Cecil Ave., owned by Muhammad Akbar. Akbar is using approximately $17,000 in grant funds to add “Healthy in a Hurry” signage, for facade improvements, equipment (a refrigerator and dry goods table), marketing, community outreach, technical assistance and first order of produce.
“The Healthy in a Hurry Store initiative has helped me to offer fresh, healthy foods to my customers,” said Akbar. “With the high cost of a new refrigeration unit and displays, I would not have been able to carry fresh fruits and vegetables without the help of the initiative.”
The new Healthy in a Hurry store in Portland is the Curtis Market located at 2720 Duncan St., owned by James Mitchell and managed by his son, Jimmy Mitchell. James Mitchell is using approximately $8,000 in grant funds to expand his selection of fresh produce, for signage, technical assistance and to market the store throughout the surrounding area.
“Even though we’ve been offering fresh produce for some time, the Healthy in a Hurry initiative has made it possible to expand the selection we offer to our customers,” said Jimmy Mitchell.
Staffing and improvements are coordinated by the Healthy in a Hurry initiative of the Healthy Hometown Movement and its partner, the YMCA of Greater Louisville. The Healthy in a Hurry initiative makes it possible for grocers in neighborhoods not served by a full-service supermarket, known as food deserts, to carry fresh produce and other healthy foods that might otherwise not be available.
Healthy in a Hurry stores are also located at Webb’s Market at 944 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Old Farm Boy Market at 1200 Dixie Hwy., the Shawnee Market at 208 Amy Street in the French Plaza, at the Parkway Food Mart at 1201 W. Hill St. and at the Berrytown YMCA at 1300 Heafer Rd.
“It’s gratifying to see that the federal Communities Putting Prevention to Work Grant is accomplishing so much in Louisville,” said Congressman John Yarmuth. “Louisvillians who live in neighborhoods without supermarkets will have easier access to healthy fruits and vegetables. Kids in our public schools will have nutritious foods and more physical activity during the day. And we’ll all benefit from an infrastructure that better supports bicycling, walking, and other physical activities.”
“The Healthy in a Hurry Corner Store initiative has really taken off, and is a key tool in creating a healthier Louisville,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “It has been very successful in bringing fresh produce and better nutritional opportunities to citizens in many of our city’s neighborhoods that don’t have a supermarket.”
“These two new Healthy in a Hurry stores will make it possible for Chickasaw and Portland residents who don’t have a car to make better food choices,” said Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. “There are more than 9,500 households within a one mile radius of the Happy Food Mart and more than 7,400 within a mile of Curtis Market. Now healthy fresh fruits and vegetables will be within walking distance.”
The Happy Food Market lies in Metro Council District 1. Councilwoman Attica Scott said,” By creating this Healthy in a Hurry corner store in the Chickasaw neighborhood, our city is showing its commitment to food justice in West Louisville. I am ecstatic that we are investing resources in a way that encourages and promotes healthy living by ensuring that families, especially children, have access to fresh fruits and vegetables."
As part of the program, stores receive start-up produce and technical assistance. The Center for Health Equity and the Y also work with food distributors to negotiate delivery costs for businesses participating in the Healthy in a Hurry initiative.
“A healthy choice should be an easy choice,” said Steve Tarver, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Louisville. “Breaking down barriers and providing access for people who want to eat healthy, but may not always have the opportunity, is our goal and Healthy in a Hurry is helping to make that happen.”
|
Farm Boy Food Mart
Shawnee Market
Parkway Food Mart
Webb's Market
|