Anson County Partner Meeting

On July 15, 2024 the North Carolina Community Engagement Alliance Team gathered to bring together stakeholders in Anson County, North Carolina to learn more about the upcoming Food Is Medicine project that would be initiated. These were the foundational steps that helped us learn more about the issues in Anson County and to introduce the group to the MedSouth Lifestyle Program and the food that accompanies it.

Event Highlights

Anson County Food Landscape

Local officials, community based organization leaders, and staff from the only area hospital were in attendance. Guests joined at FlakeHaven, a venue in Wadesboro, to share and learn more about the landscape of food in Anson County.

Stakeholders acknowledged that in Anson County there are only two grocery stores located centrally in Wadesboro, with Dollar General being the only comparable alternative.

Collaborative Initiatives

The group also brainstormed different ways they could engage in this initiative. Some of them included:

• Establishing a congregate meal site for seniors at The Caraway Foundation
• Using organizational websites to share news and updates about the intervention
• Work with Sandhills AgInnovation to create produce boxes for the study
• Collaborate with Atrium Health to engage further in the work

A Taste of the Mediterranean Diet with a Southern Twist

During lunch, stakeholders got to taste several meals provided by Equiti Foods to demonstrate how health and flavor can exist in Southern cuisine. They sampled four different flavors, Big Al’s Big BBQ, Farmhouse Mac n’ Cheese, Chicken Burrito, & Beef Bulgogi. Feedback forms were provided to allow a review on the taste of each flavor. Of these flavors, Farmhouse Mac n’ Cheese was a clear winner, with 11 out of 13 respondents saying they would consume it regularly.

Conclusion

This was the preliminary step for the NC CEAL team learn more about Anson County and for most our team, it was the first time we visited in person. The collaborative energy and willingness to improve the nutrition of Ansonians was most impactful and we are inspired to move forward in our work. We hope to start our intervention work in late 2025.