Healthy food will be there for the picking

Grant will bring Edible Landscape idea to Clear Lake, North Iowa

The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health was recently awarded a $4,254 grant from The Wellmark Foundation to fund their Edible Landscapes project. Grants were awarded to projects intended to make Iowa communities more active or improve access to healthy foods. To receive this grant, community support needed to be shown through voting. The community pulled through and voted for the county’s project through Facebook.

The Edible Landscapes project will provide area locations with “edible landscaping.” This means various locations throughout the county will be able to receive plants and trees that produce fruits and vegetables to be planted in high traffic areas. The produce grown from these plants will be available to the public free of charge to come pick and eat.

Locations include Clear Creek Elementary School in Clear Lake, Community Kitchen in Mason City, Plymouth Betterment Committee in Plymouth, Opportunity Village in Clear Lake, Willow Creek Gardens in Mason City, and Lime Creek Nature Center in Mason City.

  “This is a very exciting opportunity for us and our healthy nutrition initiatives,” said Katelyn Nicholson, Public Health dietitian, Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health. “Access to healthy foods is the door to consumption of healthy foods. This will give the public access to free produce.”

The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health was one of nearly 80 applicants, and one of 30 organizations in Iowa to be awarded this grant.

For more information about nutrition services at the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health,  contact Katelyn Nicholson at 641-421-9342 or visit www.cghealth.com.