Georgie’s Farm Market

PLEASE NOTE: Although this posting may display a longer availability window on Handshake due to system requirements, applications for this internship must be submitted by June 12th.

Description: 
Georgie’s Farm Market is a fresh food market at a walkable location in the heart of the Belkap and Creston neighborhoods.  Not only does Georgie’s sell healthy food, it is a community resilience hub, providing support services for physical, mental and financial health.

Importance to Public Health: 
Georgie’s Farm Market directly addresses needs identified in Kent County Health Department’s Community Health Needs Assessment as well as Calvin College’s 7-year neighborhood needs assessment.  Both indicated that food access and mental health were areas of high need.  The Greater Grocery Project of the University of Michigan in 2021 also assessed the neighborhoods as suffering from food apartheid. Statistics indicate that mental health issues continue to increase in number for all age groups and that suicide is on the rise in Grand Rapids.

Project Deliverables:
We are requesting a Fellow to focus on boosting awareness and engagement with Georgie’s nutritional offerings as well as the social supports it provides (cooking classes, fitness classes, nutrition classes, financial literacy classes, blood pressure checks, et al).  We anticipate the need for intense social media marketing, hard copy distribution, a community poster blitz, representation of these programs at community events, promotion at organizations and businesses, and researching future funding opportunities. A Fellow will be able to initiate and support the assimilation of Georgie’s into the lifestyle of the neighborhoods.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Students applying for this internship must be enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program.