May 2026 Newsletter

Expanding Access to Active Living Across Our Communities

A group of adults and children wearing bright yellow safety vests walk along a sidewalk during a community walk audit, with a road, power lines, and blooming trees visible on a sunny day.

Welcome to the first edition of the Healthy ROOTS Monthly Newsletter!

We’re excited to launch this new way to stay connected with our partners across the state, sharing funding opportunities, training and networking events, resources, research, and stories from our 10-county region to support healthier communities.

As we move toward summer and warmer weather, this issue highlights our physical activity access strategy, which is focused on creating safer, more accessible places for families to be active. Across our counties, we’re already seeing exciting progress in expanding opportunities for people to get outside and move more in ways that fit their daily lives.

We encourage you to share this newsletter with colleagues and partners who may benefit from these resources. If you received this from a colleague, we invite you to subscribe below to stay connected and receive future monthly updates.

Project News & Updates

Infographic titled “Healthy ROOTS 2025” from NC State Extension. It describes the Healthy ROOTS program, which aims to increase access to healthy food and opportunities for exercise while strengthening obesity prevention standards in early care and education across 10 North Carolina counties with high obesity rates. The theme reads: “Promoting Resilience through Food, Family & Movement.” Key accomplishments include needs assessments, program naming and identity, and community asset mapping. The program delivered 17 stakeholder and partner trainings and gave 11 national and state conference presentations. A central graphic highlights over $20,000 in local engagement seed grants from the Global One Health Academy. A map of North Carolina indicates participating counties, alongside partnership logos (including EFNEP, NCDHHS, Head Start, and others). Three main impact areas are presented: **Nutrition Access:** 83,375 pounds of fresh produce distributed. $100,000 leveraged through the “Food as Medicine” Produce Prescription Program with 12 participating families. Conducted 25 food pantry staff interviews and provided healthy food guideline training for two rural food pantries. An additional $65,000 supported expansion of a mobile market voucher program across seven counties. **Physical Activity:** Youth-adult partnerships launched. County-level food, health, and physical activity resource maps developed. A walkability action planning website (CommunitiesMovingTogether.com) was created. **Early Care and Education:** Collaborated to install a fruit and vegetable garden at Mt. Olive Head Start. Conducted 10 technical assistance consultant interviews. Implemented 12 Head Start classroom interventions (Go NAPSACC and Farm to ECE). Completed menu review and updates for Green Lamp Head Start. Footer notes funding support from the CDC via the USDA Southeast Center for Health and mentions that the content reflects the authors’ views.

The Healthy ROOTS team recently released our 2025 Year in Review, highlighting several of our efforts and successes across the project this past year!
A second cohort of the Youth-Adult Partnership Collaborative, a project supported by the Healthy ROOTS physical activity strategy team, recently completed a three-part workshop series led by Dr. Corliss Outley, Professor and Director of REYSE Collaboratory at Clemson University, focused on positive youth development. The series culminated in an action-planning session during which participating 4-H and FCS agents began planning for youth-led, community-driven projects to expand access to physical activity across rural North Carolina.

Featured Resource

Walk Audit 2.0 Toolkit Website is Live!

In March, the Healthy ROOTS Physical Activity Strategy team announced the release of the Walk Audit 2.0 Toolkit website. A resource designed to help communities assess walkability and turn local input into action, guiding partners from identifying barriers to planning and implementing improvements that support safer, more active environments. Explore the toolkit at https://communitiesmovingtogether.com/ to engage residents, prioritize changes, and strengthen efforts to expand physical activity access in your community.

Screenshot image of home page for Walk Audit 2.0 Toolkit Website

Access the website here.

Funding Opportunities

NC Complete the Trails Program is now accepting applications to support trail development across North Carolina, with up to $100,000 available per project and significant funding set aside for small towns, many of which require no match. With several eligible communities across Healthy ROOTS counties and limited competition in past cycles, this is a strong opportunity to expand access to safe, active spaces. Explore the details and consider applying: https://trails.nc.gov/state-trails/nc-complete-trails-program

📅 Deadline: October 8, 2026

Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Grants are now open for 2026, offering funding to support planning, infrastructure, and programs that improve roadway safety and prevent injuries and fatalities for all users, including pedestrians and bicyclists. This is a strong opportunity for local governments and partners to advance safer, more active communities. Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity here and check out resources from Safe Routes Partnership here.

📅 Deadline: May 26, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET

⭐ Contact the Healthy ROOTS Physical Activity Team at healthyroots@ncsu.edu for support with developing a competitive application for either of these opportunities.

Share This! (Social Media Toolkit)

📣 Post #1:
Playing sports is fun, and it’s a great way for kids to stay active, build teamwork, and

improve their health.

During National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, learn more about the amount and

types of physical activity a child needs: https://bit.ly/43gDngw #ActivePeople

📣 Post #2:
May is Older Americans Month!

Staying physically active is key to maintaining a healthy body and mind as we age.

Regular physical activity like walking, yoga, or dancing can boost brain function

and overall well-being. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3RcBOLe #ActivePeople

⭐ Tip for posting: These posts are designed for Facebook. Copy and paste in a new post and Facebook should generate an image from the linked site. For Instagram, consider using a stock image (one of your own or one with a Creative Commons license) along with the featured text and link.

Partner Highlight

Halifax County Parks and Recreation Department
In January of this year, Halifax County named Quentin Jones director of their new parks and recreation department. Read more here.

Jones hit the ground running and has already connected with the Healthy ROOTS team, partnering to plan a free shared use workshop in June 2026 for county stakeholders to learn more about sharing their facilities to increase community access to spaces for physical activity.

Flyer promoting a Healthy ROOTS event titled “Shared Use Workshop.” Header reads: “Share your facilities with the community” and “Join us for a FREE Shared Use Workshop.” Event details: June 8, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the N.C. Cooperative Extension – Halifax County Center, 359 Ferrell Lane, Halifax, NC 27839. Lunch will be provided. The flyer explains that limited access to physical activity spaces contributes to obesity and poor health. “Shared use” refers to agreements between entities such as local governments, schools, or churches to open recreational facilities for community use. The workshop invites community leaders to learn how to build partnerships for sharing these spaces. A “Learn About” section lists topics: How to share recreation facilities through agreements ranging from informal arrangements to formal memorandums of understanding; Barriers to sharing recreation spaces and strategies to overcome them; How to access resources and toolkits for shared use; Success stories from communities across the U.S. Registration information: “Register by June 3” with a QR code and link (forms.gle/Nq1TmJ8nRENzaFFXA). Contact information: Quentin Jones, Halifax County Parks and Recreation Director [jonesq@halifaxnc.com]. Includes Healthy ROOTS and NC State Extension logos, a Halifax County seal, and a photo of a colorful playground with slides and climbing structures on the right side. A small footer note states: "In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, NC State will honor requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Please direct accommodation requests to: Lauren Morris, lcmorri5@ncsu.edu. Requests can be served more effectively if notice is provided at least 10 days before the event."

Research & Evidence Corner

A new article by the Healthy ROOTS team will be published in a forthcoming issue (May) of the Journal of Rural and Community Development. The article examines how rural North Carolina communities navigate persistent barriers—like disinvestment and natural disasters—while leveraging partnerships and local networks to promote physical activity. Drawing on interviews with planners and parks and recreation professionals, the study highlights how community trust, collaboration, and context-specific investment are critical to sustaining health opportunities in rural areas.

Read the full article here.

Upcoming Dates

May 26, 2026, 5PM (ET): Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Grant Applications due
June 8, 2026, 11:30am-1pm: Halifax County Shared Use Workshop
June 23, 2026: National Family Health & Fitness Day, (second Saturday of June). Check out the National Park and Recreation Association’s Toolkit for ways to promote the event in your community!

Thank you for your continued partnership in building healthier communities.

We look forward to sharing monthly updates, resources, and stories from across our region.

With appreciation,

The Healthy ROOTS Team

🌐 https://www.healthyrootsnc.org/

✉️ healthyroots@ncsu.edu

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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