On Saturday, May 15, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon, Dougherty Fresh will hold a Spring Festival at Riverfront Park behind the Welcome Center in downtown Albany. The purpose of the festival is to engage citizens with healthy eating, and life- styles, home garden growing, and more.

Created from a Healthiest Cities and Counties Grant in the amount of $100,000, the two-year grant program is funded by the Aetna Foundation, together with the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the National Association of Counties (NACo), Dougherty Fresh is an initiative to provide support to counties and communities that desire to change the way they work together across sec- tors in an effort to reduce disparities in chronic disease outcomes.

A collaborative partnership between Dougherty County, Flint River Fresh, and the University of Georgia (UGA) Extension Service in Dougherty County, Dougherty Fresh works to support the initia-

tive of the grant in several ways, including: developing a strategic vision for urban agriculture con- versation within our community; working with local government and area businesses to ensure continued success and sustainability of this program beyond inception; coordinate an urban ag- riculture program to complement and expand current community initiatives, such as addressing food deserts, work with local government to secure the food system, and support farmers and local food hub plans; build partnerships with local government, business, farmers, and others; increase access to healthy, local foods in low-income areas; develop a plan to address food de- serts; create opportunities to merge existing initiatives into one large-scale, long-term coordi- nated effort; develop financial opportunities to support long-term viability of the initiative; and se- cure funds in partnership with this initiative to ensure longevity and impact.

Community partners and sponsors for the event include Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, Albany State University, Phoebe Putney Health System, Department of Public Health, Georgia SNAP-Ed, and Whole Wave Georgia.

The event schedule will be as follows:

• 10 a.m. – 12 Noon: Phoebe Mobile Medical Unit, 4C Academy Farm Stand, and Garden & Grow Kit Giveaway

• 10:15 a.m. – 11 a.m.: Grow Your Groceries – Summer Edition

• 10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: UGA Cooperative Extension, Gardening With The ARC of

  Southwest Georgia

• 10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: Get Fit with Underdog Fitness

• 10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: Chair Yoga with SOWEGA Council on Aging

• 11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.: Get Fit with Underdog Fitness

  For more information on Dougherty Fresh, visit Dougherty.ga.us/DoughertyFresh.