By Monique Wooley
Recently I had the opportunity to attend front row at the community symposium as it relates to Healthcare in our community.
Someone mentioned that “we already have a food desert now we’re losing our hospital.”
Well my question is why are we relying on a group of board members to decide what our community eat or even where we receive medical care?
What we allow is our choice.
The Dunbar Community bares greatness in numbers. We have magnificent leaders in ministry, educators, attorneys, realtors, healthcare professionals, roofing companies, logistics, professional negotiators and business builders in general.
So why are we as a community dependent upon any outside groups to provide us with the resources that we lack and are fully capable of providing for ourselves?
When will we cease the excuses and collectively join as a community to buy, lease or build what WE need as a community?
Anything worth having is worth working for.
We will allow other groups to come into our area where we’ve lived and have raised our families for decades but did not see the value until it’s now being stripped away.
Gentrification happens naturally when those are forced to see the value in areas otherwise considered useless.
If we can shift our mindset, from competition to unification, stop spending our dollars in places or organizations that do not value or respect us and join our resources in support of economic growth and development, we can succeed in providing our own agricultural needs.
When I moved back to our community four years ago, having been away for over 20, I saw enough growth and potential to leave my property in Ohio to not just return but to plant my heels once again within the community in which made me what I am.
I’ve been asked several times, “why are you staying in this area?” “You don’t fit in this area.” “Why not rent or sell your property and move to Cape Coral or Naples?”
And my response was why not here, why should I risk renting or compromising in a sell when there’s potential right here?
My family struggled here and the greatest honor would be to not allow that struggle to go in vain. And that’s the value.
We are all aware that we stand stronger in numbers by helping one another and teaching one another free of judgment or blame.
Unifying, even in diversity will bring about positive change in anything if done for the right reasons, with the right resources and with the right intentions.
The Bible Teaches:
Each of you should use whatever gift you received to serve others 1 Peter 4:10-11. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin’s destroy and where thieves break in and steal. Matthew 6:19.
So let’s allow not just our voices to be heard but show our strength by putting the work in to build our community and grow what we need on the land that we have and the land that we will acquire collectively. Let’s not be forced elsewhere by the illusion of property deals. Because everything doesn’t have to have a monetary value.
After all, if we can buy or lease buildings for entertainment, beauty, restaurants or any other business, than we can buy or lease a property to facilitate healthy holistic foods to cultivate our community by utilizing the farming resources that we already have to stock our own shelves in the name of health.
This may even be a vessel for new business opportunities in terms of creating new food brands and grocery chains.
Hmmm, now that’s food for thought.
