August 2026 Newsletter

On the Ground with Healthy ROOTS

Welcome to this month’s update from the Healthy ROOTS Team! We’re working across 10 counties to improve access to healthy foods, create more places to be active, and support families and early care settings in building healthier futures.

This month we are celebrating the progress we have made across our strategies and counties and reflecting on the partnerships that are at the core of Healthy ROOTS successes. Our recent two-day site visit, showcasing local efforts across the region, was a powerful reminder of what community-driven progress looks like on the ground.

As always, 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.

Rooted in Partnership: 

Reflecting on our CDC Site Visit

On August 3 and 4, the Healthy ROOTS team welcomed our CDC partners to North Carolina for a two-day site visit. During our time together we were able to share successes and challenges, showcase the incredible work happening across all Healthy ROOTS counties, and think together about what we hope to accomplish together in the years ahead. While the short timeline did not allow us to visit every site and partner, we were able to hear from several Extension and community collaborators who were able to share their firsthand experiences with the work and progress happening on the ground, highlighting the people, places, histories, and character of the communities that are at the heart of this work across all Healthy ROOTS counties. 

On our first day together, we had the opportunity to convene on campus to share about Healthy ROOTS efforts to strengthen nutrition and physical activity policies and programs in local Head Start programs. Our partners from Mt. Olive Head Start were able to join virtually to share about their experiences cultivating the Garden of Love with support from students, families, and the community. On day two, we hit the road, stopping first at the Warren County Senior Center to see the Ripe for Revival Mobile Market in action. From there we travelled to the new Warren County farmers market site, where construction is underway on a pavilion that will be a new permanent home for local growers and vendors and a space for the community to gather.  At our third stop, we convened at the River Falls Park Trailhead in Weldon, where we were joined by local leaders on a walk to share their vision for enhancing walkability and access to the Roanoke Canal Trail. In the afternoon, we gathered with additional Extension and community partners to share about progress toward increasing access to healthy foods through produce prescription programs and mobile market voucher distributions, as well as efforts to improve access to physical activity through walkability and youth leadership and engagement initiatives. These two days of seeing and sharing were a powerful reminder that Healthy ROOTS progress is measured not just in programs and infrastructure, but in the relationships and shared vision that connect each community to the future they are building.

Thank you to our county Extension teams, community partners, and everyone who opened their doors, prepared a presentation, or helped behind the scenes. Your tireless efforts in your communities, hospitality, thoughtful contributions, and willingness to ask questions and share your experiences and visions for the future helped to bring the Healthy ROOTS story to life.  As we look toward the future of this initiative, we plan to leverage this momentum to continue cultivating partnerships and sharing more stories of our collective impact across all 10 counties. 

Featured Resource

Collective Impact: From Ideation to Action

(Webinar recording and resources)

Learn more about Collective Impact as a framework for community-based change. In this webinar, hosted by the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, guest speakers led a discussion about how Collective Impact differs from other forms of collaboration, offered a framework for thinking about and applying a collective impact approach, and shared resources and examples for putting these ideas to work in community.

Trainings, Conferences & Networking Opportunities

• From Research to Impact: Communicating Rural Research to Broader Audiences - Webinar focused on expanding the reach and impact of rural scholarship co-sponsored by the Rural Sociological Society and the Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging

  • 📅 Date: September 17, 2026, 1:00PM ET 

  • 🔗 Register here. 

• The Shared Table: Where Food, History, and Community Meet - Joint meeting of the NC State Extension Local Food Program, the NC State Community Development Program, and the NC Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NCACDEP).

  • 📅 Date: October 27-29, 2026, Hillsborough, NC 

  • 🔗 Register here. 

Research & Evidence Corner

“Context Matters: How History, Relationships, and Resourcefulness Shape Rural Physical Activity Systems”

New research from members of the Healthy ROOTS team finds that rural communities promoting physical activity are navigating real, long-standing challenges, from disinvestment to natural disasters, but are also finding success by leaning on informal partnerships, local trust, and creative use of existing community assets.

It's a reminder that relationship-building and resourcefulness are the strategy, not just a workaround. Investing time in cross-agency partnerships and community networks is a powerful, sustainable way to expand physical activity access in rural communities.

Share This! (Social Media Toolkit)

⭐ Tips for posting:

• Tag Healthy ROOTS social media when reposting.

  • Facebook: @healthyrootsnc

  • Instagram: @healthyrootsnc

• Swap in your county name where relevant (e.g., "proud to support this work right here in [County]").

• These posts are formatted for Facebook. The link preview should auto-populate from the article URL — no extra image needed unless you'd like one.

  • For Instagram or to boost engagement, consider pairing with a stock produce photo or a photo of spaces for physical activity in the community (one of your own or one with a Creative Commons license).

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

This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2,304,000 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

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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