By LESLIE COLLINS
Northeast News
May 29, 2013

Mattie Rhodes Community Centers is continuing to promote health and wellness, not only through its partnerships with local schools but also through its community garden and La Chalupa Farmer’s Market.

Mattie Rhodes’ community garden, Jubilee Community Garden, features 22 beds that community members can rent for a nominal fee.

“There’s a lot of focus right now in the health world on access to healthy foods,” Mattie Rhodes’ Director of Community Services Susan Garrett said. “I keep hearing the phrase, ‘We have to make the healthy choice the easy choice.’ If we can provide opportunities for folks to learn how to do these things, or maybe they know how but don’t have the space, we can help facilitate that the easy choice is the healthy choice.”

Earlier this year, Mattie Rhodes partnered with KC Community Gardens to host a series of gardening workshops and hopes to offer more in the future.

To further complement the health and wellness theme, Mattie Rhodes is once again opening its La Chalupa Farmer’s Market on Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The market will be open every Thursday at Mattie Rhodes’ parking lot, 148 N. Topping Ave., Kansas City, Mo. Fresh fruits and vegetables, home-baked goods and other items will be available for purchase. EBT/SNAP cards are accepted.

Not only does the farmer’s market give local residents access to locally grown produce, it also helps the local growers, Garrett said. In addition, the neighborhood farmer’s market spurs a sense of community and provides a safe, positive environment for neighbors to gather, she said.

“Anything that can provide those positive opportunities for the neighborhood is always good,” she said.