Fresh Food Oasis Comes to Cincinnati Urban Food Desert in Avondale

Finally! Here is my press release for the Summerville Farmer's Market in Cincinnati. I will send to several local news sources. Hopefully we can get some free publicity. The formatting is a little funky on Blogger tonight, so please forgive the sheared margin. Business is picking up, but we are still looking for vendors, volunteers and customers. As we execute the marketing plan I developed, we hope to see Summerville's financial health thrive and grow along with that of the community!

Lisa crafted, constructed and installed this sign for the market



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




Media Contact: Lisa A. Bussey

317Bussey@gmail.com

Gloria Ware

bn2g@gmail.com




Public Contact: Lisa A. Bussey

317Bussey@gmail.com








WEST END RESIDENT AND BUSINESSWOMAN BRINGS FRESH PRODUCE TO URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD OF AVONDALE



Cincinnati has one less "food desert", thanks to the efforts of West End resident and Avondale businesswoman
, Lisa Bussey. Seeking to fill the produce gap in the diets of area residents, Ms. Bussey has opened the Summerville Farmers Market at 3166 Reading Road in the heart of the Avondale neighborhood.Summerville will be the area's first outdoor market and will offer a selection of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. Much of the produce is grown on the premises and is often picked to order fresh from the onsite garden. This unique feature thrills patrons of the market, as it offers superior taste and creates a connection to the food, something which has become lost in the past years as more of our food is imported from around the world and developed with a priority for enduring extended shipping times over tasting good.The market is a labor of love for Ms. Bussey, who cleared the once vacant urban lot, managed the garden and built much of the existing infrastructure and with her own hands. Having a Masters in Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati, she realizes the potential for the market to revitalize the physical and economic health of the community. She envisions the market as a catalyst and gathering place to not only improve the health of the community, but she plans to work with local residents interested in becoming vendors to expand product offerings to include honey, baked goods and various crafts. As the market grows and financially supports a permanent market structure, her goal is to provide green job training and employment opportunities in the area of construction, facilities maintenance and landscaping for the area's unemployed citizens.Openings are currently available for vendors seeking to market their goods. The Summerville Farmers Market hours are Saturdays 11am-3pm and Sundays Noon-4pm and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards are accepted. Please contact Ms. Bussey for more information.

Happy Mother's Day! I'm off to a Raw Start!

Happy Mothers Day my friends! How fitting is it that Mother's Day commences the beginning of National Women's Health Week. It all starts with us, so I think it is so fitting that I was treated to a surprise raw food breakfast this morning of Apple Cereal and Mango Banana Smoothie. I heard my teen rattling around in the kitchen, but though that he was going to whip up a conventional breakfast for me....until I heard the blender. I thought that it was sweet of him to consider a smoothie in his plans, even though I was somewhat concerned over the loud noise eminating from the blender. To my astonishment, he came upstairs with a bowl of homemade Apple Cereal and a big ole mug of Mango Banana Smoothie. Turns out that he got up early and researched raw breakfast food recipes on the internet, after much searching, he found the website http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/, and made my breakfast! Everthing was good, he actually grated the apples himself and swiped some of the nuts I had soaking for my raw tuna. The one snag that he ran into was that he had no experience cutting a mango. The loooong seed in the mango caught him offguard, he assumed the hard part of seed at the ends of the fruit, were just frozen sections of the mango, so he sliced through them (so manly!) and tossed the chunk into the blender (hence the loud noise heard earlier, at which point he realized it was a seed), so I did have to contend with a few seed fibers, but it was all good. I feel blessed to have such a thoughtful son.

The last photo is a snapshot of a raw starters kit that I put together for my mom. It can be expensive, especially if you are on a fixed income, to get everything you need to get started on a raw diet and she is always game for anything positive that will improve her health, so I put together this ensemble to keep her moving in the raw food way.

On that note, lets all this week try to incorporate one raw meal per day into our diets or at least more fruits and veggies, so we can flip the script on the unhealthy narrative that has been playing out in our lifestyles these last few decades. Check out the blog Chocolate Orchid , for some great ideas on how to get started! Or pick up a copy of the new book by Tracye Lynn McQuirter.By Any Greens Necessary: A Revolutionary Guide for Black Women Who Want to Eat Great, Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and Look Phat.

Happy Mothers Day to all, including Mother Earth!

Universal Sisters

Imagine this scenario. Email: Gloria are you interested in serving on a panel to educate women on finance? It's August 15th, 8am-5pm.
Reply: Sure! I'm all about educating a nation.
Prepare to Put on Calendar: Saturday? What?! I don't know about taking my whole Saturday. Hmph!
Ultimately: Give in - with the stipulation of arriving at 9:30am vs. 8am.

Result: I was blessed to have the opportunity to mingle with 1,200 African American women at the 4th Annual Universal Sisters Health Conference. There were workshops on everything from domestic abuse, to menopause, to balding, to incontinence. Free health screenings were provided by the staff of The Cleveland Clinic, there always a group of women in the hallway trying out some Zuumba dance moves and there was a great, very well attended session titled "What Your Mama Didn't Tell You About Sex", that was presented by two female physicians and a nurse. Let's just say when the nurse starts quoting Madea - "Cling, cling, shut it down!", it was a very real, open and honest session. You're never to old to be educated on that topic.

I presented with three other ladies on the topic of financial health. I was able to share my experiences as a commercial banker serving nonprofits and governments, a women business owner advocate and a board member to provide insight to small businesses and nonprofits on how to succeed in this economy. My clients have had lots of practice this year trying to survive! I spoke about how important it is to stay active to drive revenue. This includes, networking, using social media, talking to your government officials and giving presentations to targeted groups. Then I discussed the importance of trimming the fat by reducing expenses. I provided lots of ideas, but my favorite one was......go green! Anyway, I have since shared greening and marketing strategies with a very well known family business in the area and have been asked to be a resource for non-profit news from one of the newspapers reporters in town.

Lesson: Kharma baby! Give a little, get a lot.

Health Care Reform Facts: Read The Bills Here

Everything you want to know, compliments of AARP. Check it out here.

Obama Health Care Reform Riles Up Whole Foods CEO John Mackey - ABC News

Obama Health Care Reform Riles Up Whole Foods CEO John Mackey - ABC News Interesting. The CEO of Whole Foods is a libertarian. Anyway, as someone who is a strong supporter of health care reform for many reasons, I have taken steps to go support two locally owned grocers in the area. I will miss Whole Foods, but I am deeply disturbed over Mr. Mackey's stance on this issue. I was already feeling occasional pangs of guilt when I thought about the manner in which he handled Wild Oats, a former competitor that the grocer bought out. He was on the internet making disparaging remarks about Oats under an assumed name, all the while attempting to take them over (perhaps at a lower stock price?). I acknowledge that Whole Foods is a great employer and supporter of the organic foods movement and realize that employees may be impacted by these boycotts, but sometimes it's best to keep certain opinions to yourself. I may return to my former favorite grocer in the future, but "someones got some 'splaining to do", before that happens.

Shared via AddThis