Sometimes, people need a little incentive to get moving and eat right.
Which is exactly what the folks in Lansing’s
Allen Neighborhood Center hope to provide more of thanks to a grant from the
Capital Region Community Foundation.
The neighborhood center received a $2,890 grant to support Market Walk,
a program that offers people tokens for the neighborhood farmer’s market in exchange for walking.
The more steps a person accumulates, the more tokens they receive to use on fresh, healthy foods.
The center piloted the program last year and had such great response that they had a waiting list of 35 people to enroll this year, said Joan Nelson, center director.
She said the grant will allow them to double their enrollment this year to as many as 80 people.
“This program is really meant for people who are not already walkers or joggers or in some kind of regular exercise program,” Nelson said. “We wanted to give people an incentive. We encourage people to exercise and eat well.”
The Allen Street Farmer’s Market is held every Wednesday from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. through Oct. 27.
It’s one of several programs sponsored by the Allen Neighborhood Center, an organization that promotes revitalization and activities on Lansing’s
Eastside.
Source: Joan Nelson
Writer: Louise Knott Ahern
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