September 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 15

Kerman Farmers Market hopes to begin accepting SNAP by the
end of the 2023 season, with a full launch in 2024.
* Have at least three new vendors participate in at least two
markets by the end of the 2023 farmers market season
* Have at least 25 percent of new vendors recruited during
2023 farmers markets attend the 2024 market season
* Host three vendor meetings by the end of the 2023
market season to build vendor relationships
Both plans are used to expand on the service delivery
and engagement with our unrepresented and underserved
populations in Kerman.
Focused Outreach
To gain a better perspective from the community, a forum
was held on September 24, 2022, in Kerckhoff Park. The
park is in a central part of Kerman and is home to the annual
Harvest Festival - or " carnival " as it's more commonly
known among the Spanish-speaking community. The goal
of the forum was to meet with community members and
discuss ideas on how to improve access to parks, increase
community awareness of resources available and improve
access to physical activity programs. With the feedback
received, staff and partners moved forward with the
implementation of a Park Rx Program. With a goal of
improving awareness of city parks and resources, Park Rx
events are taking place at different parks each month. On
April 29, 2023, the first Park Rx Day was held at Trini's
Park, a neighborhood park located on the east side of Kerman.
Partners provided free health education and screenings,
community resources, fitness demos and a community
art project where community members painted their
favorite outdoor scenes on a canvas. Park Rx programming
has continued to expand with weekly water aerobics classes,
mindfulness mornings in Soroptimist Park and a weekly
Art in the Park program at Lions Park. This free art program
is open to all community members and all art supplies
are provided, so there are no limitations on participation.
The City of Kerman has taken great strides to improve
equity by engaging with community organizations
and key stakeholders. We continue to meet
monthly and support each other's events and programs,
knowing that we are all here to serve Kerman. Staff will
keep implementing the community engagement plan
by creating marketing materials in multiple languages
and participating in cultural events to connect with
people of various backgrounds. As the KWH continues
to grow, staff has completed the initial application
process to make the Kerman Farmers Market a SNAPauthorized
market. This step will make the market more
equitable for people of all socioeconomic groups and
offer an additional resource to the community.
Theresa Johnson, CPRP, is Community Services Director at City of
Kerman (California) Parks, Recreation and Community Services
(tjohnson@cityofkerman.org). Shannon Barrett is Recreation
Coordinator at City of Kerman Parks, Recreation and Community
Services (sbarrett@cityofkerman.org).
23_004897_Parks_n_Rec_SEP Mod: July 27, 2023 4:20 PM
Print: 07/27/23 4:20:55 PM page 1 v7
π
OUTDOOR AMENITIES
FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES
ORDER BY 6 PM FOR
SAME DAY SHIPPING
COMPLETE CATALOG 1-800-295-5510
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | SEP T EMBER 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
15
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHANNON BARRETT, CITY OF
KERMAN PARKS AND RECREATION
September 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2023 - Parks & Recreation
