PRESS RELEASE from Charlotte in 2012

For Immediate Release: 
Thursday, August 23, 2012

Contact:
Charlotte in 2012: Suzi Emmerling
CATS: Jean Leier             
 

Charlotte in 2012 Launches Mobile Produce Market at Uptown Charlotte’s Transit Center with Friendship Gardens, CATS, and Humana
 

Today, the Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee, Friendship Gardens, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), and Humana will launch a mobile produce market in the Charlotte Transit Center. The market, called “Friendship Gardens TO GO,” is a new program that will bring fresh and healthy produce on a weekly basis to Charlotte’s Uptown Transit Center.
 
Representatives from each participating organization will be available for media interviews today, Thursday, August 23rd, from 3:30-4:00 p.m. at the mobile market, including Charlotte in 2012 Executive Director Dr. Dan Murrey, CATS CEO Carolyn Flowers, Friendship Gardens Program Director Henry Owen, and Jeff Blunt with Humana. The mobile market will be located at 310 E. Trade Street. 
 
The mobile market will consist of a vehicle freighted with produce available for purchase by residents and will be stationed at the Transit Center every Thursday. As the program develops, the mobile market will expand to serve the Transit Center an additional day each week.  
 
The project supports Mayor Anthony Foxx’s “Healthy Children, Healthy Families” convention legacy program. This program aims to build on the work of local organizations and people committed to ending childhood obesity, increasing access to healthy foods, and promoting healthy lifestyles in Charlotte and the region.
 
By bringing fresh and healthy options to the center, the project helps address “food deserts,” which are urban or rural regions – typically in low-income areas – that suffer from a disparity of fresh food consumption choices.  
 
“Projects like ‘Friendship Gardens TO GO’ reflect our commitment to implementing creative measures to ensure that all Charlotteans have fresh and healthy food options. By meeting the issue of food deserts head-on and creating a sustainable solution, we can have a positive, lasting impact on our residents’ well-being,” Mayor Foxx said. 
 
Mayor Foxx announced the convention’s legacy program to help ensure that the convention leaves a positive, lasting impact on the local region. The convention legacy programs fall into the following four categories: Youth Employment and Civic Education; Healthy Children, Healthy Families; Energy, Technology, Sustainability; and Building a Broader, More Inclusive Economy. By leaving a legacy, the convention has the potential to be more than an event; it can be a galvanizing moment for citizens to pull together and work to provide a strong future for the community.

 
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