Making a Difference Winter 2016: Around GCDD
Mixed Greens Goes Mobile
GCDD’s Real Communities initiative Forsyth Farmers’ Market is going mobile. The Forsyth Farmers’ Market Farm Truck 912 will be a mobile market that will bring local fruits and vegetables to Savannah neighborhoods that do not provide healthy food options. Farm Truck 912, named after Savannah’s area code, will both accept and double SNAP/EBT benefits and offer health and nutrition opportunities.
“The goal of our mobile market is to bring nutritious, locally grown produce to neighborhoods with the least access to healthy food. We hope to reach our neighbors who find it difficult to attend our Saturday farmers’ market due to transportation issues or other barriers,” said Teri Schell, executive director of the Forsyth Farmers’ Market and community builder for GCDD Real Communities.
Farm Truck 912 will be set up at community centers and other locations that have already started to have conversations about health. It is starting with four stops on three days and will expand to at least seven stops by April of 2016.
Some of the initial stops will include:
- Benjamin Van Clark Neighborhood – WW Law Community Center
- Eastside/Hitch Village – Department of Children and Family Services Center
- West Savannah – Moses Jackson Community Center
- Carver Heights – Carver Village
The Forsyth Farmers’ Market was created to address food access issues and to provide all members of Savannah’s community with a welcoming, inclusive place to purchase regional produce. As a GCDD Real Communities initiative, the market in Forsyth Park was created to develop a more welcoming neighborhood, as well as provide opportunities for connection and contribution for people with and without disabilities.
For more information on the Forsyth Farmers’ Market Farm Truck 912, visit farmtruck912.org
Governor Deal Appoints New Members
Governor Nathan Deal appointed 23 people to state boards, including six new members to the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities. They include:
- Sukie Glick is the youth and social media specialist for disABILITY LINK. She is the co-chair of the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living Youth Steering Committee and a youth member of the National Council on Independent Living.
- Dorothy Harris is the secretary for People First of Georgia and her local People First chapter. She is a member of the Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).
- Nandi Isaac is the owner of ScanWithNan, a microenterprise that focuses on helping people save memories. She is a Partner in Policymaking for All About Developmental Disabilities and has completed training in peer-to-peer support. Isaac is a member of the Region 2 Quality Improvement Council and the Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council of DBHDD. She is also a member of the Georgia State University – Center for Leadership in Disability Community Advisory Council.
- Heidi Moore is an advocate for children’s welfare reform and a member of the State Advisory Panel for Special Education, the Olmstead Planning Committee and various Medicaid healthcare reform committees.
- Brenda Liz Muñoz is a family and diversity fellow for the Georgia Leadership in Education on Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities at the Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University.
- Madeline Petrone is an advocate for community inclusion for people living with disabilities. She has received services in a group home, host home, day center, sheltered workshops and independent living from providers.
Read more from the winter 2016 edition of Making a Difference here:
