On March 3, 2023, Forsyth Farmers’ Market kicked off its 912 Food Farmacy program for the year, which increases access to healthy food for persons living with diet-related health conditions. Participants are able to attend monthly nutrition education classes in exchange for grant-funded vouchers that can be used at the market and Farm Truck 912.
“Thank you for a record-shattering day,” executive director Dr. Deidre Grim said. “Today we put more money in local farmer’s hands and fresh healthy produce into the community.” The first stop was St. Mary’s Community Center, where we met over 100 neighbors and helped them purchase $1151.42 worth of food grown by our market vendors. Liz Juneau, our nutrition educator for 912 Food Farmacy and editor of the 912 Food Farmacy cookbook, led live cooking demonstrations to teach everyone how to make kale salad by using the massaging technique.
“Last night was a great joy for me,” Asia Harold, spearhead for the 912 Food Farmacy program, as well as Director of Community Engagement and Market Manager for Forsyth Farmers Market, said. “Having the opportunity to help my community while supporting local farmers is a driving force. Thank you to all who have supported the program thus far.”
Local clinics refer participants to the program. Forsyth Farmers’ Market currently partners with five sites including St. Mary’s Health Center, Memorial Children’s Hospital, African American Health Information & Resource Center, Chatham Health Department, and a new Spanish-speaking location at the Good Samaritan clinic in Garden City. The program runs from March to October and currently has over 475 participants registered. To learn more, click here.