On May 10th, the Cleveland Job Corps Center opened their doors to the public to host Care-A-Van. The event was made possible through the collaboration of Food Conscious Director of Community Relations and Operations, Sara Continenza, Dee Jay Doc, Founder of Refresh Collective and Cleveland Job Corps.

Care-A-Van is a program that actively collaborates with community partners to bring fresh, healthy foods and other vital wrap-around services and resources to underserved communities (Rodriguez-Carbone Care-A-Van Program Evaluation 2017). The program is a component of Food Conscious, a nonprofit organization aimed at fostering overall community wellness through enhancing local food systems. Refresh Collective, is a nonprofit youth empowerment organization who seeks to remix creative arts, community engagement, and youth development to rejuvenate the city.

The two agencies sought to receive feedback from the community and connect them with valuable resources. The meeting focused on the following residential concerns within the community: access to fresh produce, safer neighborhoods and better grocery stores. A healthy meal was served and the event concluded with residents and Job Corps students writing down their feelings about violence and creating a hip-hop song from their stories that they performed. Special guest, Krayzie Bone from “Bone thugs-n-harmony” spoke positive words about everyone’s work in the community.