**MEDIA ADVISORY** House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressman McGovern to Tour Community Harvest Project, Host “Food is Medicine” Roundtable

Event to Highlight The Farm to Health Center Initiative's Work to Reduce Hunger by Strengthening Community Access to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Washington, DC, June 11, 2015

This Saturday, June 13 at 12:30 p.m., House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) will join local leaders to tour the Community Harvest Project (CHP) in Grafton and host a roundtable on The Farm to Health Center Initiative (FHCI) and its work to reduce hunger and enhance positive medical outcomes for low-income families in Central Massachusetts. 

The Farm to Health Center Initiative is a collaboration between CHP, UMass Medical School (UMMS) students, and Family Health Center of Worcester (FHCW) physicians. The project is aimed at reducing rates of food insecurity by increasing patient access to and consumption of fresh produce.

At a time when House Republicans are assaulting the food safety net, Congressman McGovern and House Democrats are working to ensure that no child is hungry, that seniors aren’t choosing between food and medicine, and that struggling families can put food on their tables.

The Community Harvest Project, in collaboration with University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Family Health Center of Worcester, has served as a model for innovative community-based solutions to increase access to fresh, high-quality and nutritional food to patients and over 99,000 of the most food insecure residents of Massachusetts. Leader Pelosi, Rep. McGovern and Executive Director Jodi Koeman will highlight the important connection between healthy food, healthy lifestyles and healthy communities for the future of our children, seniors, hardworking families and our country.

A full list of roundtable and event participants is below.

WHO:

   House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
   Congressman Jim McGovern
   CHP Executive Director Jodi Koeman
   FHCI founders Kathryn Bailey, Rachel Erdil, and Liz Rosen
   WCFB Executive Director Jean McMurray
   FHCW Vice President Noreen Johnson Smith
   State and Local Leaders
   Area Health Center Directors
   Local Hospital Executives
   Members of Congressman McGovern’s Congressional Youth Caucus

WHAT: Tour and Roundtable Discussion on The Farm to Health Center Initiative

WHERE: Community Harvest Project / Brigham Hill Community Farm Conference Room, 37 Wheeler Road, North Grafton, MA 01536

WHEN: Saturday, June 13th, 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Congressman McGovern, as Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, has been a leading champion in Congress in the push to reduce hunger in Worcester County and across the country, raising awareness through his regular #EndHungerNow speeches on the House floor.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Abraham White at abraham.white@mail.house.gov.

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