CLEVELAND — At NuLife Fitness Camp in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood, exercising and eating healthy at Juicy Vegan go hand in hand thanks to Miesha Wilson’s commitment to eating good, feeling good and living good while also addressing a critical need.
“It’s a scarcity of healthy food, accessible, healthy food, fresh food not to mention the lack of grocery stores in our neighborhoods,” said Wilson, the owner of Juicy Vegan.
Wilson said she hopes to change the face of what fast food looks like by introducing the community to plant-based healthy food options.
But she said there’s just one problem.
“Right now, restaurant businesses are really taking a hit, so just in terms of disposable income, it’s just been really minimum,” said Wilson.
Refusing to give up on her dream and community, Wilson said she began calling around and found other black-owned vegan businesses who shared the same struggles, which eventually led her to launch the "Vegan Food Cash Mob" initiative.
“This month, we’re asking all of our constituents, the neighborhood, the community to help us keep from having to close our doors. What does that look like? Cash mobbing us. Every Wednesday and every Friday, visit one of our businesses,” said Wilson.
Among the Cleveland businesses participating are Juicy Vegan, Mary Johnson’s Vitamin Kandie Restaurant on 7228 Euclid Avenue, and Kurtis Williams’ restaurant called Squash the Beef on 1400 East 105th Street, where each owner will encourage customers to come back by entering them into a weekly prize drawing.
“I feel like when I bring this food to our community, it’s definitely healthier than some of the other options,” said Williams.
Williams said his food even has its own unique flavor, which he believes will drive customers to his restaurant and the other two businesses so they can all continue to provide healthier food options and a sense of unity to their community.
“If it’s Black History, if it’s not Black History, we need to come together,” said Williams.
“People are already saying how can we help, what can we do so with that being said, while we’re trying to help the community by offering plant-based options, the community is in turn helping us stay relevant as well,” said Wilson.
The first day to participate in this initiative is Wednesday, and the effort will run every Wednesday and Friday throughout the entire month of February.
