Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nashville, TN - The Healthy Nashville Leadership Council (HNLC) announced today a groundbreaking community mapping project to examine food accessibility in North Nashville. The project, called Rooted Together Nashville, is a collaborative effort between HNLC, The Nashville Food Project, Community Connexor, and the Nonprofit Equity Collaborative, as well as several other community partners.

The goal of the project is to identify the historical causes of food insecurity and food availability landscape in North Nashville, and to develop a policy impact based on data analysis. As part of the project, HNLC and the National Center for Community Mapping at Meharry plan to conduct community asset mapping for food accessibility in North Nashville on April 15th at Lee Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The community mapping approach is a more comprehensive way to understand food access disparities in North Nashville, compared to relying solely on the Food Desert Locator by the USDA. The mapping process will help identify any provider related to food, including community gardens, and provide valuable data for policymakers, health providers, and community members to address food insecurity in North Nashville.

"We're excited to bring this collaborative effort to North Nashville and work with the community to identify ways to improve food accessibility and reduce food insecurity in the area," said Kia Jarmon, Founding Director of the Nonprofit Equity Collaborative.

The event will include a panel discussion and a community mapping workshop from 10am to 3pm. Lunch will be provided for all participants. The event is open to the public, and participants are invited to register for the event using the Volunteer Registration Form available at https://forms.gle/EMczDW7nFkxjSZLw5.

For media inquiries about the nonprofit collaborative effort, contact Kia Jarmon, Founding Director of the Nonprofit Equity Collaborative at 615.592.6377 or kia@mepragency.com. For media inquiries about community mapping, contact Dr. Wansoo Im, Director of the National Center for Community Mapping and Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine at Meharry Medical College at wim@mmc.edu.

Event Agenda:

Location: Lee Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church

10:00 - 10:15 am: Opening

10:15 - 10:45 am: Food Accessibility Discussion

10:45 am - 11:15 am: What is Community Mapping (Dr. Wansoo Im, Meharry)

11:15 am - 11:45 am: How to do community mapping (How to use Mappler)

11:45 am - 1:00 pm: Fieldwork: Community Mapping

1:15 pm - 2:00 pm: Lunch (Provided by Nashville Food Project)

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Discussion about the finding

About the Healthy Nashville Leadership Council:

The Healthy Nashville Leadership Council (HNLC) is a group of community leaders, business leaders, healthcare professionals, and government officials committed to improving the health of Nashvillians. HNLC works to address health disparities in the city and create a culture of health and wellness for all Nashvillians. For more information, visit https://www.communitymap.net/nashville-food.