Initiative brings healthy foods to North Nashville neighborhoods

Each Saturday this summer, a dusty vacant lot on a city street in North Nashville is transformed into a vibrant oasis of colors, scents and sounds.

Sandwiched between the area’s gas stations and fast food restaurants, an organic produce stand piled high with luscious fruits and leafy vegetables gives residents of three nearby neighborhoods a much-needed opportunity to buy healthy, affordable foods.

The RiverWest Produce Stand is the result of a partnership among Vanderbilt’s North Nashville Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC), the RiverWest Community Development Corporation and several other Nashville organizations. Darcy Freedman, a doctoral student at Vanderbilt, organized the project. The produce stand is an example of the action-research project model in practice at the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies, she said.

Freedman spent her first year at Vanderbilt and in the Nashville community researching methods for addressing childhood obesity and consistently heard how difficult it was for some local residents to purchase high-quality, fresh produce in their neighborhoods. Last summer Freedman learned that COPC, in partnership with the RiverWest Community Development Corporation – comprising the Preston Taylor, Hadley Park and Tomorrow’s Hope neighborhoods – was also concerned with the dearth of healthy foods available in these neighborhoods. The three neighborhoods, along with several other areas in Nashville, are what organizers call “food deserts” – areas without ready access to nutritious food.

“There are places to purchase food where you can buy chips, beer, cigarettes and soda,” Freedman said. “If there are fruits and vegetables at those stores, they’re often poor quality and they’re very expensive.”

Studies show that one out of every four adults in Tennessee is obese and the number rises to one in three for children, she said. During her early research in the Nashville community, Freedman interviewed parents of preschool-age children and found a commonality in their responses. “I heard over and over that people liked fruits and vegetables, but they weren’t able to purchase them because it wasn’t convenient. It wasn’t accessible to them and in their busy lives, that barrier was a big barrier,” she said.

The produce stand offers residents a chance to purchase organic or locally grown produce throughout the summer in their own neighborhood. The stand purchases some of its produce from the Nashville Farmer’s Market, a co-sponsor, as well as from local farms.

Delvin Farms in Williamson County provides organic fruits and vegetables to the produce stand at no cost. “This is something that we felt was important, to be able to get good food into areas that don’t have that available,” said owner Cindy Delvin. “We could sell this produce other places, but we felt this was such an important endeavor that we couldn’t take money for it.”

While the produce stand provides a temporary solution, it highlights an important social justice issue as well.

“We have to give people an opportunity to make the choice to be healthy,” Freedman said. “You may come up and see that there’s peaches and peach ice cream. You may pick the peach ice cream every time, but at least you had the opportunity to choose the healthier option.”

Beyond providing healthy food to the neighborhoods, the RiverWest Produce Stand also encourages community involvement and development. Community members have the opportunity to come together through the produce stand.

“Working with the produce stand has allowed me to become involved in community activities and become aware of other resources within this community,” said Frazier Beverly, a community member who has been involved in planning and volunteering at the produce stand.

The RiverWest Produce Stand has only been in operation this summer, but in a short time has become very successful. “The effect on the community has been positive,” said Beverly. “Each Saturday the stand has nearly sold out of all the produce and has provided part-time employment for two youth who also live in the community.”

In addition to the produce stand, residents hope to expand their community garden program, which is supported by the agricultural extension at Tennessee State University.

TSU helped establish the RiverWest community garden in the Preston Taylor neighborhood. Instructors teach community garden training sessions and consult on nutritional issues. The garden provides an opportunity for residents to tend to and harvest fruits and vegetables, and the excess produce goes to the stand for sale.

Right now, the main concern in continuing the produce stand is funding. While the stand usually brings in a small profit, it needs outside assistance to pay its two managers. It also relies on volunteers to help staff the stand and transport the produce. While this system generally works well, at times weather and other uncontrollable factors affect the produce stand’s ability to function.

Despite these challenges, Freedman reports that sponsors hope to expand the program. With ongoing support from the community, they hope to continue the RiverWest Produce Stand and community garden and branch out into other areas of Nashville in need of better access to healthy food. “There’s tangible evidence that something good is happening here,” Freedman said.

Listen to an interview with RiverWest Produce Stand coordinator Darcy Freedman.