Thanks to a generous sponsorship from Eastman, the Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council is launching Farmacy Fit, a farmers market walking program, in partnership with the Kingsport Farmers Market and Healthy Kingsport. Farmacy Fit aims to provide community members with an accessible and fun avenue for physical activity and an incentive to purchase and eat more healthy fruits and vegetables.
Beginning June 1st at the Wednesday market, everyone is welcome to participate Wednesday and Saturday mornings 9:00 am – 11:00 am through the end of October. Participants will sign in upon arrival at the welcome booth and walk a one-mile walking route at their own pace. At the completion of the route, participants will receive $4 in tokens to spend on fresh farmers market fruits and vegetables from participating vendors. Tokens will expire at the end of the market season.
Appalachian RC&D Council ran Farmacy Fit as a pilot program in 2018 at the Johnson City and Jonesborough farmers markets, funded by the Tennessee Department of Health. Community Relations Director, Aubrey Baker, shares, “We are thrilled to resume the program through the generous support of Eastman and in partnership with the City of Kingsport and Healthy Kingsport. All program partners share a common goal to improve the quality of life for our region.”
Two in three adults in Sullivan County are overweight and one in three are obese. With the main causes of obesity being diet, environment, and physical inactivity, the program provides increased access to nutritious produce and encourages physical activity through creating a supportive community. “Farmacy Fit will support our local farmers while also giving community members a fun, family activity. We hope to encourage new market visitors who can have fun together and enjoy more fruits and vegetables,” says Kristie Leonard, Kingsport Farmers Market Manager.
Walks will take place rain or shine unless it is thundering. Kingsport Market is held at the Kingsport Farmers Market Pavilion, located at 308 Clinchfield St. Kingsport, TN 37660. For more information about Farmacy Fit: Farmers Market Walking Program, visit https://arcd.org/farmacy-fit/.
For more information about project partners:
Visit Eastman, project sponsor https://responsibility.eastman.com/.
City of Kingsport https://www.kingsporttn.gov/
Healthy Kingsport https://healthykingsport.org/
The Appalachian RC&D Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving Northeast Tennessee and beyond. The mission of ARCD is to conserve natural resources and improve rural economies through community leadership and enhanced educational opportunities. For more information on ARCD and all its programming, please visit arcd.org.
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Media contacts:
Kayla Nichols, Marketing & Communications Director
kayla@arcd.org
423-571-2949
Aubrey Baker, Community Relations & Advancement Director
aubrey@arcd.org
423-218-9251
Kristie Leonard, Kingsport Farmers Market Manager
KristieLeonard@kingsporttn.gov
Desteny Clemons, Healthy Kingsport
dclemons@healthykingsport.org
