MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — As families prepare for the start of the school year, up to 150 Miami Gardens families received free groceries and health services Saturday during a community wellness event focused on improving access to food, preventive care and safer neighborhoods.
Urban Health Partnerships hosted its “Get Moving Miami Gardens” event at Rolling Oaks Park, where residents picked up pantry staples including bread, macaroni, beans and other nonperishable food items while also receiving free health screenings for conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
The event, which marks the nonprofit’s 15th year serving Miami Gardens, also featured a neighborhood walking audit, community yoga, a resource fair and family activities aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles.
One of the day’s key initiatives was the walking audit, where residents, elected officials and community stakeholders evaluated neighborhood streets for safety and accessibility.
“So what’s great about this event is that we have food, we have services, all of these things that are needed right now, but we also have a walking audit which is a walk where community members, officials, different stakeholders actually go through like a street or an area and evaluate how safe it is, whether there’s improvements that can be made and in this particular case we’re going to create more green trails and create space for the community,” said Andrea Iglesias, CEO and executive director of Urban Health Partnerships.
“So from here they’ll be able to actually make some recommendations throughout the city and hopefully advocate for that space to be created,” she added.
Organizers said the event is intended to address both immediate needs, such as food insecurity and access to preventive health care, while also encouraging long-term investments in neighborhood infrastructure that support healthier communities.
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