Healthy Living Programs
Strengthening Communities through Health Literacy
The Park CDCs healthy living programs advance equity and address health disparities faced by individuals in underserved communities by providing nutrition and wellness education, preventive care services, resources, and tools tailored to the needs of each participant. We recognize that access to healthy lifestyle choices should not be limited to certain populations, but should be available to all, regardless of socio-economic status or background.
By offering educational workshops focused on diet, physical activity, and mental well-being, our goal is to empower residents of all backgrounds to lead healthier lives. Additionally, through our urban farm Sunset Farm, we provide horticulture education to school age youth, adults, and seniors along with distributing fresh, locally-grown, pesticide-free produce to residents and community partners.
Cooking Matters
Educational, interactive workshops designed to teach participants to improve their health outcomes by practicing positive dietary habits, cooking nutritious meals, and optimizing their grocery shopping budget while choosing healthy food selections.
“I learned a lot about nutrition. This class was awesome! I think everyone needs something like this.”
- Cooking Matters Program Participant
Upcoming Workshop: 2025 workshop dates and times to be announced soon!
Lunch & Learns
Informative sessions designed to educate community members about the importance of both mental and physical wellbeing. Participants receive resources and strategies to develop healthier practices which will produce sustained positive health outcomes.
These sessions are hosted in collaboration with community partners such as the McCrorey YMCA where members can attend the cost-free, interactive workshops.
Upcoming Workshop: 2025 workshop dates and times to be announced soon!
Urban Farm
Sunset Farm is our urban farm located at 3432 Sunset Road Charlotte, NC 28216. Here we provide nutritionally dense food for individuals and families in need, distributed primarily through our community partners and seasonal farm stand.
This space also functions as a hub for intergenerational gardening to create mentoring opportunities, gardening lessons, and life skills through the engagement between community elders and younger generations, and for STEM-based educational programs for all ages focused on outdoor, environmentally safe activities.
Horticulture Education
Helps empower youth, adults, and seniors with valuable knowledge and skills related to sustainable food production, environmental stewardship, and healthy living.
Participants learn about planting, nurturing, and harvesting crops through interactive activities, educational workshops, and immersive experiences. The goal is to inspire a lifelong passion for nature and gardening while fostering a sense of responsibility towards the environment and emphasizing the importance of nutritious food.
Seasonal Farm Stand
We distribute free, fresh, in-season, pesticide-free produce.. We also distribute health literacy materials which describe the nutritional benefits of various types of vegetables and fruits along with nutritionally-dense recipes which incorporate these items.