This month's Food for Thought event held by The Giving Team Inc. at the corner of Church Street and Malvern Avenue put a spotlight on minority health issues.
April is National Minority Health Month, "so we're trying to get all minorities, you know, everybody to come and support," Janice Davis, The Giving Team founder, told The Sentinel-Record onSaturday.
The events are held on the lot on the last Saturday of every month.
Numerous groups and organizations participated, including National Park Medical Center. While NPMC is always in attendance at the Food for Thought events, Saturday was the first time for Ruth Anne Milbourn, chest pain center coordinator at the hospital.
"Our motto at our hospital is to make communities healthier, so we're out here today to take blood pressures, try to identify anyone who has high blood pressure who doesn't know it. We also want to teach them about healthy snacks and healthy eating, so we'll have a lot of handouts on that, as well," Milbourn said Saturday.
Attending for the second time was Priscilla Couch, NPMC emergency room director at NPMC, who said she wants to help make the community healthier.
"We want to come out here and do our part," Couch said, noting they also gave out tips on how to spot strokes and heart attacks, "so they know to seek care."
Davis said those who attended had access to cellphones, food, clothes and rehab services.
"It's not just for the homeless, and I want people to understand that," Davis said, "It's for marginalized groups of people, like Home Harbor residents, they come, you know, those are seniors who always can't get to the hospital or they can't get places."
Various political candidates were also on hand to meet with the public at the event.
"We're just glad to be here to help people who always can't get to where they need to go, just for various reasons," Davis said. "Parents and children come, it's the end of the month. The economy dictates what you have, so people run out of food."
She noted about 100 people receive help at each month's event.