COVINGTON – Healthier Northshore, a community health initiative spearheaded by St. Tammany Health System, recently completed its first harvest and distribution of fresh produce for food bank clients at the Bogalusa Help Center.
The initiative, which will see such deliveries occur weekly, is a community partnership with key contributions from Nielsen’s Farmacy, a two-acre community garden on which the produce was grown; the B.B. Sixty Rayburn Correctional Center, inmates from which harvested and bundled the produce; and the Bogalusa Help Center.
“It’s a labor of love and a ministry of sorts,” said pharmacist Bill Nielsen, who plants the garden annually on land adjacent to his pharmacy. “This is just a small way I can give back to the people of Bogalusa. The real credit, though, goes to God. Whatever good we can do comes from him.”
In all, 200 bundles of freshly harvested mustard greens were delivered to the food bank. Each was accompanied by a recipe card, along with information about Nielsen’s Farmacy and the Healthier Northshore Initiative.
Ben Nevers, former state senator, executive committee member of Healthier Northshore and lifelong resident of Bogalusa, gathered all the resources and entities to make this initiative a reality.
“Bogalusa is my community, and we want to spread the word about the wonderful resources available here and get this produce to people who need it most,” Nevers said. “My lifelong friends and neighbors were anxious to come together to make this happen. We all want people to know they can utilize this garden whenever they need it, to provide nutrition for their families.”
The Bogalusa Help Center serves approximately 100 households each week.
The Healthier Northshore initiative was started in 2020 by local health systems, government officials, local experts and community leaders to serve as a network for healthcare-related education and resources in the region. Among other things, it promotes early detection and prevention to improve the health of Northshore residents.
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About St. Tammany Health System
The heartbeat of its community, St. Tammany Health System cares for patients and families with excellence, compassion and teamwork. It is nationally recognized for quality, safety and service excellence by CareChex, Leapfrog, Healthgrades, Hospital Compare, Women’s Choice and US News & World Report. The health system is home to 281-bed St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 1, three diagnostic centers and 12 medical clinics throughout western St. Tammany Parish. Self-supporting, not-for-profit STHS is AA- rated by Fitch and receives no tax funding. More at StTammany.health.
About Healthier Northshore
Formed in September 2020, Healthier Northshore is a joint effort of more than 50 local healthcare stakeholders, government leaders and nonprofit organizations to bring health education to residents of St. Tammany and Washington parishes. Together, our partners and resources help boost health and wellness through community events, promotion of existing programs and collaborations to provide health screenings to our Northshore neighbors. Learn more at HealthierNorthshore.health.