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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The
Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee is a non-profit,
non-partisan organization established by the city of Charlotte to
fulfill obligations of the master contract with the Democratic National
Convention Committee. In addition to those obligations, Charlotte in
2012 works to engage the citizens Charlotte and the Carolinas through
business and civic opportunities, ensure that the Convention
leaves a
positive lasting legacy, and tell Charlotte and the region's story
to the nation and the world. For more information, visit us online
at www.charlottein2012.com.