Photo by Matt Schorr
Pictured from left to right at a Mobile Market at Nashville General Hospital at Meharry are Community Organizers Taylyn Lewis and Samuel McCullough and REACH 2020 Director Linda McClellan.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. America is often perceived as a land of plenty. Given its massive geography, the United States is one of the only nations in the world touched by nearly all climates, allowing for a large and diverse agriculture.
However, for many, the reality is quite different.
A number of citizens live in what the United States Department of Agriculture refers to as “food deserts,” areas where buying affordable, healthy food is difficult. Such areas offer residents few whole food providers and grocers who offer fresh fruits and vegetables. However, they are heavy on quickie marts with processed sugary and fat-laden foods that contribute to obesity and other health risks such as cancers and diabetes.
Sam McCullough, a community organizer with Meharry Medical College’s Nashville REACH 2020, is trying to halt that trend. “We’re working to improve the health of residents by providing them with healthier choices,” he said.
Nashville REACH 2020 is a community health initiative funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. REACH is an acronym for Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health.
McCullough and Taylyn Lewis, community organizers for REACH, hope to combat the reality of food deserts by bringing fresh produce via the Mobile Market.
“We’re charged to bring fresh fruits and vegetables into the food desert communities,” he said, “with an emphasis on 37207, 37208 and portions of 37209, those two zip codes.”
The Mobile Market is hosted every Tuesday by Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center (MWCHC) from 8 am until 10 am and Nashville General Hospital at Meharry from 10:30 am until 2 pm. The mission is to offer fresh fruits and vegetables grown by Barbour’s Farm in Southern Kentucky.
Andre Barbour, owner of Barbour’s Farm, met McCullough over the summer and has been the Mobile Market’s sole provider since July. Both men share a common goal: long-term sustainability to keep providing much needed produce to impoverished areas in Nashville.
“My goal is always to provide fresh vegetables to customers,” Barbour said, “to offer families something affordable to eat.”
McCullough said Barbour’s name came up while he was attending a meeting with the Nashville Health Disparities Coalition, a partner with the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance and the REACH 2020 project. At the time, Barbour was selling produce in a market at Mount Olivet Church behind Tennessee State University (TSU).
“His name was floating around, and I came back to my office and Googled him,” McCullough recalled.
As it happened, learning of Barbour and his farm was fortuitous. The Mobile Market had recently lost its previous food vendor, Community Food Advocates, a local nonprofit group who’d been forced to file for bankruptcy just as the markets were starting to take off in March 2016.
“I talked with Andre, then met with my director Linda McClellan, and she agreed we needed to set up a meeting,” McCullough said. “He came down from Canmer, KY, and told us what they do, and the types of fruits and vegetables they grow on the farm, that’s how we started our partnership.”
Barbour hopes to keep the Mobile Market going after the CDC funding ends next fall and, like McCullough, see it expand. In addition to MWCHC and Nashville General, their efforts cover the Preston Taylor Housing Development, the Metro Retired Teacher Apartments, Hadley Park Towers and Parthenon Towers. They also partner with various churches, Jefferson Missionary Baptist Church and Clark Memorial United Methodist Church, along with community faith centers such as The Wesley at TSU and local advocacy groups like Nashville Cares Inc.
Providing communities with fresh produce is a family tradition for Barbour, who along with four to five generations of relatives has farmed his entire life. “We’re a family-owned and operated farm,” he said. “Our farms have always had dairy and vegetables.”
For more information about the Mobile Market, call REACH 2020 at 615-327-6918 or Taylyn Lewis 615-327-6945 in the Preventive Research Unit at Meharry Medical College. For more on Barbour's Farm, visit their Facebook page.
About the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
Founded in 1999, the Alliance bridges the institutions of Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Its mission is to enrich learning and advance clinical research in three primary areas -- community engagement, interprofessional education and research -- by developing and supporting mutually beneficial partnerships between Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the communities they serve. Through community engagement, the Alliance serves a large community of stakeholders including surrounding universities and colleges, community organizations, faith-based outlets and community health centers. Its interprofessional education enhances students' interdisciplinary understanding and improves patient outcomes through integrated care. The research conducted provides access to experienced grant writers and materials supporting the grant application process and facilitates grant-writing workshops.