LYNN — Norris Guscott, the city’s public health coordinator and Food Security Task Force leader, will receive the Black Excellence Award from the North Shore Juneteenth Association on Feb. 8.
The award recognizes community members of Black heritage who are excelling in their professional career or community engagement. Past recipients include Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, President of Alysha Hill Bingham Leadership Foundation Alysha Bingham and Lynn District Court Judge Ina Howard-Hogan.
President of the North Shore Juneteenth Association Nicole McClain said Guscott’s service for the community will be highlighted at the event in February by touting his achievements and placing his picture alongside those who have received the award in the past.
“North Shore Juneteenth will be putting a display that pictures Norris and other Black Americans that have received this recognition in the foyer of City Hall during February,” said McClain.
Guscott will also participate in the Local Black Excellence Forum on Feb. 8. The forum will take place via Zoom at 6:30 p.m and will discuss the obstacles people of color face and how they overcome said challenges.
Guscott said he was honored to receive the award and has been passionate about bringing change and help to the city.
“I grew up in Lynn and am very passionate about Lynn,” said Guscott. “We have a focus on community engagement, which is a pillar of our success.”
As the director of the Lynn Food and Fitness Alliance and the leader of the city’s Food Security Task Force, Guscott’s mission is to ensure residents have access to nutritious foods and to help them live a healthy life by improving physical and mental health.
Guscott highlighted the opening of the Phoenix Food Hub by Greater Lynn Senior Services (GLSS) earlier this month, which is one way the city is improving food and nutrition equity. Phoenix Food Hub offers several services to help those with food insecurity. Services include providing nutrition screenings or hosting healthy-cooking classes for those who have diabetes.
“The people know how to cook but we are going to focus on healthy cooking,” said Guscott. “We also have a database center that collects data that collects social- and clinical-health determinants.”
Guscott said that while he’s glad to receive the award, the mission to help people in Lynn acquire healthy meals never ends.
“I am not the biggest tooter of my own horn,” said Guscott.
