Organization and community: Jackson Medical Mall Foundation (Jackson, Mississippi)

The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation (JMMF) recognized that arts and culture offered an opportunity to approach health and wellness more holistically, and enhance their role as a community anchor. They constructed a commercial kitchen within the Mall, to offer a culturally relevant, intergenerational food and nutrition program, managed by the proprietor of Bottoms Up Fresh Smoothie Bar, one of the Mall’s tenants.

The commercial kitchen will collaborate with a community garden across the street from the Mall, creating a community-based, farm-to-fork endeavor. Local residents will learn about nutrition to promote healthy eating, receive training in farming and cooking with fresh fruits and vegetables, and rent farm, kitchen, or catering equipment. Visual artists, including daniel johnson, will be designing murals and other artwork for the garden and kitchen.