Mandela Market New Year's Resolution... sell more produce, promote more access (Community Voices)

Shining Sun Mon, 7 Feb at 8:46am

MMPlace Programs Director, Quinton Sankofa, presents Bottles Liquor owner, Mo, with an award for selling 2,500 lbs of produce.

2010 was a very important year for Mandela MarketPlace and its partner, Mandela Foods. Our successes were abundant. Mandela Foods celebrated their one-year anniversary with a Summer Block Party that included special celebrity guest Rosario Dawson. We hosted U.S. Rep Barbara Lee and EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson on their Environmental Justice Tour. In conjunction with the West Oakland Senior Center, we brought the documentary Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days to West Oakland-a documentary our community definitely benefited from.

But of all of that, the number 4,000 is reminiscent in our minds. Why? Because last year we sold 4,000 lbs of produce to the owners of Bottles Liquor and Millennium Market! We are sticking to our New Year's resolution and are well on our way to providing more access to fresh, local and affordable produce in West Oakland. In 2011, we will expand our services to include two more corner stores, bringing our membership to the Healthy Neighborhood Stores Alliance (HNSA) to four stores.

Here's to another year of community partners working together to provide more access to healthy alternatives.