ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Many at Robins Air Force Base know the base’s Health Promotions team, formerly known as the Health and Wellness Center, as a go-to source for all things healthy.
Robins’ Health Promotions and helping agencies will partner with community counterparts to host the 2017 Robins AFB & International City "Meet Me at the Market" May 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the International City Farmers Market on Perkins Field, on Watson Boulevard between Maple & Mulberry Streets, across from Robins Financial Credit Union.
Stuart Bapties, Robins’ Health Promotions manager, said the collective effort is meant to improve the health and quality of life for the citizens of Houston County by combining resources and supporting each other’s efforts as part of Houston County Family Connections.
“Our event is intended to encourage families in the community to come to the Farmers Market and discover all the things that the area has available to them in the way of community services and programs while meeting their neighbors and having a chance to relax and socialize a little bit,” he said.
In addition to Robins Health Promotions and the University of Georgia doing a cooking demo with items provided by the farmers, in our supervised CATCH Kids play area, we’ll have representatives from Houston Healthcare, Primary Care 1st Choice, Houston County Health Department, Eye Know Wellness and Education and many others doing health screenings and answering questions about local resources, Bapties said.
“This strengthens ties with the community because it demonstrates that we are an involved partner and that we are willing to take the lead when needed and add our expertise to coming up with innovative ways to improve the community.”
Bapties said he hopes the event will inspire families to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
This will be the third consecutive year that Robins Air Force Base, Houston Family Connections, and the International City Farmers Market have partnered for this event.
“In May, 2015 we held our first event as a “Moms Day at The Market” and the event was so well received that we decided to hold the event each May and October as a way for the collaborative to spread the word about services, encourage people to try new things, socialize, and give back to the community,” Bapties said.
Bapties said Robins continues to add partners to such events and its partner agencies that deal with parent support groups are extending personal invitations to those parents to come to the market and meet with other parents.
“We have also added the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences who will be doing cooking demos, along with Robins Health Promotions Office, he said.
People can sign up for the My Market Rewards Program and first time visitors will get a $5 voucher to spend.
For more information, call Robins Health Promotions at 478-327-8480.