In June 2016, the City of Roanoke was awarded an Invest Health grant funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Reinvestment Fund.  This national grant opportunity is supporting 50 mid-sized cities through transformative projects in low-income communities to address health inequities.  The Roanoke Team, led by Roanoke College and including the City of Roanoke, Freedom First Credit Union, LEAP for Local Food, and the United Way of Roanoke Valley’s Healthy Roanoke Valley, is working to determine the need for a sustainable, full-service grocery store in the Northwest section of the city.  Neighborhoods in this area are designated as food deserts and currently have no grocery stores.

As part of our needs assessment, we will be conducting a “Food Access Survey” on Saturday February 18, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  We will meet at 12:30 p.m. at Goodwill Industries, 2502 Melrose Avenue, NW Roanoke 24017.   We are in need of volunteers who will work in pairs and survey willing residents by going door-to-door in designated neighborhoods.  This is an excellent opportunity to work directly with individuals living in communities of need and learn more about the challenges they face in accessing healthy foods close to home.  Your help would be greatly appreciated.  

To volunteer, please sign up at www.volunteersignup.org/33AFX.

For more information, please email RoanokeInvestHealth@gmail.com.