Jun. 18—Owensboro Health hosted its 10th annual Food+Art+Health event Saturday at the Owensboro Regional Farmers' Market.
Debbie Zuerner, OH's director of community engagement, said the event began as the Harvest Market before undergoing a name change.
"We brought some folks from eastern Kentucky and western Kentucky together, and we looked at the intersection of food, the arts community and our various Owensboro Health departments," she said. "We're very intentional about the name of the event because it's the intersection of those that create a vibrant, healthy community."
Zuerner said the event not only promotes wellness, but it also allows for community members to learn more about the local art offerings.
"If you think back during COVID, what would you have done without music and theatre and artistic expression," she said. "Really looking at that as a component to health is what this is all about."
Working with the farmers' market brings in more interaction with the community through the vendors who are there every week.
"Partnering with the community is the key to everything we do," Zuerner said. "Our mission is to heal the sick and improve the health of the communities we serve. We say it all the time that we can't do that by ourselves."
Nicole Leach, community engagement specialist, said the event is well-attended.
"I think last year we had a little over 4,000 individuals," she said, "and we're expecting about the same to come out this year."
One of the organizations at Food+Art+Health was Empty Bowls of Owensboro.
Tina Taylor, chairperson of Empty Bowls, said the group has attended the event for three years.
"This helps bring awareness of all three of the needs to members in the community," she said. "With Empty Bowls, our focus is on food, art and health, so it's just natural for us to be here."
Taylor said Empty Bowls is a nonprofit that raises money to feed the hungry in Owensboro.
"Every year we have professional potters and community members help us make bowls to be sold at an event in October," she said. "All of the money goes back into the community to an organization whose focus is on feeding the hungry."
Shannon Hutton, president of the farmers' market, said the market wants to encourage a sense of community.
"We want this event to be where everyone is welcome," she said. "This is your grandma's porch on a Saturday after church where you can get some good food, meet new friends, sit down and relax."