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Free Lunch & Learn set for April 22

 

POLK COUNTY—Pea Ridge Partnership is hosting a community-wide effort to ensure clean water, air, and an environment for Polk County residents. This initiative begins with a Lunch & Learn Workshop at Stony Knolls C.M.E. Church on Tuesday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

At the Tryon Depot, PRP’s work will continue at 6 p.m. during the Pea Ridge Partnership Roundtable, focusing on history, preservation, and environmental spaces. The Polk County History Museum, Tryon History Museum, and area historians will participate in the conversation.

Tanisha Akinloye, founder of Pea Ridge Partnership, is deeply committed to improving the quality of life in her hometown.

“One of the ways to preserve our history is to help people live healthier and longer—by educating them and providing access to clean water, air, and a healthy environment,” said Akinloye.

While conducting history interviews at some churches across the county, she observed a critical need—ensuring that places of worship, vital to the community’s spiritual and social life, also provide a safe and healthy environment. This realization led her to reach out to Democracy Green, a nonprofit focused on clean water, air, and environmental justice, to partner on her mission.

In preparation for the event—separate from the history interviews—Tanisha met with deacons, trustees, and pastors from local churches, asking key questions such as when their wells were last tested, when their pipes were replaced, and what other environmental concerns may be present in their buildings. These conversations revealed an urgent need to address environmental safety in the very spaces where people gather, as well as in the homes of members and local residents.

Recently, Democracy Green and Pea Ridge Partnership teamed up to provide face masks to local residents during the wildfires that impacted Polk and Rutherford counties, demonstrating their commitment to immediate community health needs as well as long-term solutions.

Democracy Green will present educational sessions at the Lunch & Learn on the importance of water testing, how to identify environmental hazards, and what resources are available for remediation and advocacy. A free lunch will be provided.

For more information, visit www.pearidgepartnership.org or call (203) 767-9264.