Little Rock receives $125,000 grant to receive a grant to support healthy choices

Alex Kienlen
·1 min read

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A grant to the city of Little Rock will encourage more residents to grow and eat their vegetables.

The $125,000 three-year grant from the African American Mayor’s Association and the American Beverage Foundation for Healthy America to Little Rock was one of five grants made by the partnership in April. Supporters said the grants to cities with African American mayors were made to support nutrition access, affordability and education.

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Little Rock officials said the grant would expand garden initiatives in its community schools and innovate nutrition education around school garden programs. Funding will also be used to launch FoodCorps sites and training at schools without school gardens.

Health officials added that the city will also partner with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Public Health and Culinary Medicine Programs to offer family cooking classes led by a registered dietitian.

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Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said he was excited about what the grant will provide.

“The American Beverage Foundation for Healthy Americans grant is truly exciting for the city of Little Rock to receive,” Scott said. “We know it is going to have an impact and we’re really going to see the results from it.”

Little Rock and Richmond, Virginia, were the two cities that received a $125,000 grant in the mid-sized city category. Small cities Mount Vernon, New York, and North Miami, Florida, each received $75,000 grants, with a large city grant of $200,000 going to Baltimore.

The grants were announced during the African American Mayors Association National Conference in Washington, D.C. April 24. The conference is running through April 27.

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A spokesperson for the AAMA said one-third of America’s largest cities are led by African American Mayors.

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