Plant Power! | Reclaiming our Community Food System through “Plant Power! A Food Sovereignty Initiative”

2025-07-10T12:59:30+00:00

Moment of the Month June 2025: Reclaiming our Community Food System through “Plant Power! A Food Sovereignty Initiative”  The beginnings of a renewed focus in Food Sovereignty On a sweltering hot day in late June, a vibrant crowd gathered in a local park where tents, tables, and a DJ marked  the Fourth Annual Seed Donation event hosted by Northeast Homeowners and Concerned Citizens in collaboration with Mahoning Valley Food Access Director, Sophia Buggs. Beneath one of the shaded canopies, Sophia stood surrounded by trays of starter plants including bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, collard greens, kale, and okra [...]

Plant Power! | Reclaiming our Community Food System through “Plant Power! A Food Sovereignty Initiative”2025-07-10T12:59:30+00:00

Stories of Systems Change | Mushrooms on Toast

2023-08-30T18:09:59+00:00

Stories of Systems Change: Mushrooms on Toast  A Tale of Enduring, Positive Change in the Mahoning Valley Jessica Romeo, Mercy Health Community Health Educator, leads a healthy cooking demonstration at an Urban Wellness Market Jessica Romeo served mushroom toast to intrigued customers visiting the urban wellness market hosted by a small store on the south side of Youngstown. A store that some would derisively call a “corner store,” because from the outside it looks like just another outlet focused on selling cigarettes, liquor, lottery tickets and junk food. Delicious, fresh sauteed mushrooms on toast [...]

Stories of Systems Change | Mushrooms on Toast2023-08-30T18:09:59+00:00

Moment of the Month December 2022: The Importance of Sowing Seeds

2022-12-31T15:37:49+00:00

Moment of the Month December 2022: The Importance of Sowing Seeds “Tomorrow, our seeds will grow. All we need is dedication.” ~ Lauryn Hill Winter is the most exciting time of the year for gardening. Yes, winter, and no, that’s not a typo. The dreary damp winter months are when gardeners prepare plans, sow seeds, bury bulbs, and pray our patience (and our soon-to-be-plants) hold out over the long, cold weeks ahead. As is the practice for many winter holiday traditions, the darkness and stillness create opportunities for us to embrace the slower pace and open up space [...]

Moment of the Month December 2022: The Importance of Sowing Seeds2022-12-31T15:37:49+00:00

Mahoning Matters | “For the Health of It” Growing Movement Puts Control of Food Access into Local Hands

2022-11-16T19:34:49+00:00

ICYMI Mahoning Matters | "For the Health of It" Growing Movement Puts Control of Food Access into Local Hands Fewer tricks and more treats in local food access movement It’s November, which means trick-or-treating, scary movies, haunted houses and ghost stories have passed. But, as is often the case, some of the scariest stories and experiences are things we are faced with every day and hide in plain sight. For instance, if the Mahoning Valley had a quality of life FAQ, one of the questions haunting the top would be, “Where are the grocery stores?”  The answer to [...]

Mahoning Matters | “For the Health of It” Growing Movement Puts Control of Food Access into Local Hands2022-11-16T19:34:49+00:00

Mahoning Matters | “For the Health of It” Two Valley Mayors Plotting New Paths for Their Communities

2022-10-07T18:27:05+00:00

ICYMI Mahoning Matters | "For the Health of It" Two Valley Mayors Plotting New Paths for Their Communities There are as many quotes about leaders and leadership as there are people who occupy that role. But, one statement that is a step ahead of the rest is this observation by Rosalynn Carter, American writer, activist, and First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 as the wife of President Jimmy Carter:  “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” [...]

Mahoning Matters | “For the Health of It” Two Valley Mayors Plotting New Paths for Their Communities2022-10-07T18:27:05+00:00

Mahoning Matters | “For the Health of It” To Create a Healthy Community, All We Have to Do Is Ask “How Can I Help?”

2022-08-25T18:12:11+00:00

ICYMI Mahoning Matters | "For the Health of It" To Create a Healthy Community, All We Have to Do Is Ask "How Can I Help?" Health is a small word that says a lot. Well-respected authorities on the subject define health as: “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organization). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has adapted this definition for use in its own materials: “Health is more than the absence of disease; it is a resource that allows people to realize [...]

Mahoning Matters | “For the Health of It” To Create a Healthy Community, All We Have to Do Is Ask “How Can I Help?”2022-08-25T18:12:11+00:00

Mahoning Matters | “For the Health of It” Parks are infrastructure. Let’s cultivate our common ground

2022-07-25T16:08:46+00:00

ICYMI Mahoning Matters | "For the Health of It" Parks are infrastructure. Let’s cultivate our common ground July is National Parks and Recreation Month. In spite of spending most of my unobligated time in a park, I somehow went most of my life not knowing that. Now that I know, I am celebrating this important recognition each minute of July’s long, hot 31 days. The National Recreation and Parks Association shares that National Parks and Recreation Month was established almost 40 years ago in 1985 to “promote building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks [...]

Mahoning Matters | “For the Health of It” Parks are infrastructure. Let’s cultivate our common ground2022-07-25T16:08:46+00:00

Moment of the Month April/May 2022: Food, Framing, and Freedom

2022-06-08T18:03:33+00:00

Moment of the Month April/May 2022: Food, Framing, and Freedom Changing the Language and Approach to Addressing Food Apartheid & Celebrating Good Food News Perhaps two of the most well-known, wide-ranging, and difficult to overcome social and environmental factors that impact health are oppressive forces (like racism) and barriers to basic needs (like healthy foods). Both are parts of people’s lived experiences that are at once private and personal but also consistently brought out into the public spotlight for debate and decision-making often without the consent or input of those most directly affected. Because of this, these [...]

Moment of the Month April/May 2022: Food, Framing, and Freedom2022-06-08T18:03:33+00:00

Moment of the Month January/February 2022: From Moments to Movement

2022-02-24T16:44:11+00:00

Moment of the Month January/February 2022: From Moments to Movement Reaffirming Commitments to Racial Justice and Healthy Communities Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the National Cathedral on March 31, 1968 | Image from cathedral.org/ “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.” Speech given at the National Cathedral, March 31, 1968. New years often kick off with individuals and organizations assembling plans and setting intentions. Reflecting on the length of road [...]

Moment of the Month January/February 2022: From Moments to Movement2022-02-24T16:44:11+00:00

Moment of the Month December 2021: Accelerating Active Transportation

2022-01-11T16:42:25+00:00

Moment of the Month December 2021: Accelerating Active Transportation Cities of Niles, Warren Adopt Active Transportation Plans & WRTA Expands, Enhances Services From L to R: US DOT Secretary Pete Buttegeig, US Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) Almost one year ago to the day, when U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was still a nominee, he was questioned by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), a co-sponsor of the National Complete Streets Act of 2019 and 2021, to share his position, and hopefully support, for a more complete approach to transportation policy: SCHATZ: Many local transportation [...]

Moment of the Month December 2021: Accelerating Active Transportation2022-01-11T16:42:25+00:00
Healthy Community Partnership of Mahoning Valley | 201 E. Commerce St. #150 | Youngstown, Ohio 44503 | P: 330.743.5555 | E: slowry@cfmv.org
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