I think you’ll appreciate Al’s story

Food has the power to transform ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

DONATE NOW Gini, Food has the power to build health or tear it down. At Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), we see the harms of not having access to good food: It predisposes people to chronic health conditions like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. And in recent years, this has worsened as Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous Americans and individuals with existing health conditions were also the ones hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is it also works the other way around. Improving food equity can also improve health. That's one reason we're proud to be working with Al Jones in the Mississippi Delta, who's doing just that in his local community. Al and his wife Mary opened the first J's Grocery in 1997 in their neighborhood of Clarksdale, Mississippi to fill a gap when family-run grocery stores that his community depended on closed. Pictured left to right: Al Jones, owner of J's Grocery; Mary, wife of Al Jones; Doris Haynes Miller, Project Community Liaison, MS Delta Food Systems Collaborative, PHA; and Tyler Yarbrough, Project Manager, Mississippi Delta, PHA. Photo Credit: Jordan Alexander Sales. In addition to providing good food to the community, Al uses his stores as a community hub. "We're not just a grocery store, we also have a laundromat, barbershop, and event spaces." PHA held a community event, bringing more than 100 people from the community to enjoy fresh and local produce with a DJ, yoga instruction, and cooking demonstrations. This year, Al is working hand-in-hand with our team to renovate and reformat the layout of the store in an effort to prioritize produce, grab-and-go items, and healthier products. Renovations began at his store just last week. Al wants the store to be a model of success for others in under-resourced communities like Clarksdale. He hopes that other small grocers in the area and beyond can learn from him and work collaboratively to create good food access in their communities. We'll continue sharing updates on the progress with you along the way! READ THE FULL STORY Al's story is a shining example of how the decisions we make can make a positive impact for the health of the people around us. We're excited to see all that we can do together to continue transforming communities around the country. Thank you for your support of this work, Jason Wilson Head of Communications Partnership for a Healthier America Follow Us: P.O. Box 1200 | Prince Frederick, Maryland 20678-9998 Question? Email us at social@ahealthieramerica.org or call (202) 842-9001  Partnership for a Healthier America is a 501(c)(3) organization. All gifts are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.  Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser Unsubscribe or Manage Your Preferences