The Vance Avenue Collaborative
Established in 2009, the Vance Avenue Collaborative is a coalition of residents, faith-based organizations, social service agencies, public schools, and area businesses serving the 38126 zip code, also known as the Vance Avenue Neighborhood, inclusive of the last public housing project in Memphis, Foote Homes. Together, for almost two years, with more than 1,000 local stakeholders through a highly participatory “bottom-up” planning process, we generated the Vance Avenue Community Transformation Plan for the U.S. Housing and Urban Development‘s Choice Neighborhood Grant. We will continue planning efforts through the end of June, and will then work with community stakeholders to ensure that the community vision is reflected in Memphis’ Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant application for the Vance Avenue Neighborhood, due in the coming months.
Please support our efforts and the Vance Avenue Neighborhood by keeping in touch via email atvanceavenueneighborhood@gmail.com, telephone: (901) 678-4787, or by joining our Facebook group via www.facebook.com/groups/vanceavenue. We will make sure you know about upcoming meetings and other ways to be supportive of residents and stakeholders throughout the rest of Memphis’ Choice Neighborhood Grant Initiative. You can also view the Vance Avenue Community Transformation Plan on our Facebook page, or we can email or mail a copy of the plan, per your request. Thank you for your continued interest and support.
The Green Machine Mobile Food Market
Birthed out of the Vance Avenue neighborhood planning process, the primary goal of the Green Machine is to improve the health status of Memphians who live in economically-challenged neighborhoods where access to fresh food, especially fruits and vegetables, is a daily challenge.
The Green Machine will stop throughout the city in designated “limited food access” neighborhoods, five days a week, Monday – Friday; specifically, the Green Machine will begin making stops at fifteen affordable housing complexes, senior citizen facilities, community centers, health clinics, and public schools located in neighborhoods without a full service grocery, beginning this summer. The Green Machine’s primary supplier will be the third-generation, locally-owned, Easy-Way Produce Stores; during the local-growing season more than 80% of the products sold on the bus will be grown within a 200-mile radius of the Bluff City. The bus will accept all forms of EBT payments and most state and federal food vouchers, debit and credit cards, and cash. Along with fresh local produce, the market will offer information on community services, healthcare tips, special guest appearances, and the services of volunteers from diverse professional sectors to support a full-circle healthy community.
This is a project supported by Saint Patrick Community Outreach Inc. and the Vance Avenue Collaborative, with the assistance of MATA, Healthy Memphis Common Table, and the University of Memphis’ Graduate Program in City and Regional Planning, with additional financial support by many local foundations. For more information on the Green Machine and to find out about start dates, please check out Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenMachineMobileFoodMarket.