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The American Heart Association, with support from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, is launching a program called EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator - Maryland Black Farmers. This initiative aims to assist Black farmers in Maryland, who make up less than 2% of the farming community, and address issues like food and nutrition insecurity. Rhonda Ford Chatmon, Vice President of Health Strategies at the American Heart Association, explains that farming is not just about growing food but also a matter of the heart. Through this accelerator, they want to reduce the disparity among Black farmers, enhance economic opportunities for them, and improve access to healthy food. Participants like Cynthia Wallace and Dr. Barbara Palmer, who took part in previous accelerators, have seen how it positively impacted not only their businesses but also the communities they serve. Dr. Palmer, President of Kingdom Kare in Odenton, noted that it allowed her to rebrand and focus on serving the community's social, economic, and food-related needs. Cynthia Wallace, Executive Director of The Oasis Project in Pittsburgh, emphasized the importance of teaching people about the benefits of healthy eating, addressing health disparities, and the need for collective efforts to solve community issues. Maryland Black farmers, entrepreneurs, and start-ups can apply for this program through the EmPOWERED to Serve website until October 2. Janay Reece, WJZ | CBS News Baltimore #AmericanHeartAssociation #BlackFarmers #EmPOWEREDtoServe #Maryland #Agriculture #CommunityDevelopment #HealthEquity #FoodSecurity #socialdeterminantsofhealth https://lnkd.in/gZRgByD2
