Laura Trivers (202) 720-4623
Steve Teasley (202) 720-8319
GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES $1 MILLION COMMUNITY GRANTS FOR FOOD SECURITY
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 1996--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today
announced $1 million in grants to help communities become more
self-sufficient in providing for their food and nutrition needs.
"In the fight against hunger, there is not a one-size fits all
solution. These grants will enable 13 communities to implement their
own ideas for helping their neighbors," Glickman said.
"The Community Food Project grants will enable communities to develop
comprehensive, long-term strategies to address local food, farm and
nutrition issues. The projects will increase access to nutritious,
affordable food for low-income people through local food projects,
such as community gardens and farmers markets. Some of the projects
incorporate small business development, direct markets for local
farms and job training programs for youth," Glickman said.
Private, non-profit organizations from across the country applied for
the Community Food Project grants. These are one time matching
grants. In FY 1997, an additional $2.5 million will be available
for other communities to implement similar local programs.
"Long-term food security depends on strong connections between
people in a community -- rural and urban and suburban residents;
family farmers and inner city dwellers," said Catherine Woteki,
acting undersecretary of agriculture for research, education, and
economics. "Only by building and strengthening these links will
communities be able to provide for their own food and nutrition
needs, today and in the future."
Communities receiving the grants are: Wiscasset, ME; Holyoke, MA;
Roxbury, MA; Knoxville, TN; Bloomington, IN; Moyers, WVA; Denver, CO;
New Orleans, LA; Missoula, MT; Seattle, WA; Davis, CA; Los Angeles,
CA; and Kauai, HI.
Brief summaries of the projects follow.
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Internet. Access the USDA Home Page on the World Wide Web at
http://www.usda.gov
Community Food Project Grants
Community Alliance with Family Farm Foundation, Davis, CA
Connecting Small Farmers with Low-income Communities
$45,000
This project establishes a partnership between family farmers and two
low-income Latino community development groups to provide marketing
outlets for small-scale farmers and provide greater access to fresh
nutritious produce for low-income communities.
Contact: Jered Lawson
Voice: 408-459-3964
Southland Farmers' Market Association, Los Angeles, CA
Watts Growing
$64,000
This project involves training community gardeners in production
techniques, small business management, and produce-marketing. It will
increase the availability of locally grown, fresh, nutritious produce
and generate economic development opportunities for low-income
gardeners.
Contact: Marion Louise Kalb
Voice: 213-244-9190
Denver Urban Gardens, Denver, CO
The Urban Farm at Stapleton Community Food Project
$163,000
This project involves expanding community gardens, establishing a
community food council, developing a livestock center, initiating a
community-supported agriculture program, and beginning an
entrepreneurial program for low-income youths and homeless citizens.
Contact: David Risek
Voice: 303-592-9300
Kauai Food Bank, Lihue, HI
Anahola Self-Sufficiency Program on Hawaiian Homelands
$79,000
The project includes using donated lands to expand the food bank's
farming capacity, marketing the food bank's produce to hotels and
tourist resorts, providing job training opportunities to the bank's
volunteers, and increasing the availability of locally grown food.
Contact: Gregg Gardiner
Voice: 808-246-3809
The Community Kitchen of Monroe County, Bloomington, IN
The Community Farm Project
$40,000
The project involves training tenants of public housing to produce
food and to increase income by selling produce and value-added
products at local stores and restaurants. A local food bank provides
space, volunteers, and expertise.
Contact: Emily Schabacker
Voice: 812-332-0999
Loyola University, New Orleans, LA
The Economics Micro-Enterprise Development Initiative
$148,000
The project establishes a partnership between rural growers and inner
city dwellers to cultivate small businesses from a thriving farmers
market. The community enterprises that result from this project will
enhance local agriculture and provide public housing residents with a
means to attain economic self sufficiency.
Contact: Richard McCarthy
Voice: 504-861-5898
Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Wiscasset, ME
Maine Urban/Rural Community Food Project
$113,000
This proposal involves two aspects of community food security;
development of an urban and rural food policy council and the creation
of several new projects including farmers markets, community gardens,
and educational projects.
Contact: Carla Dickstein
Voice: 207-882-7552
Nuestras Raices, Inc., Holyoke, MA
Centro Agricola (Community Agricultural Center)
$89,000
This project combines a greenhouse classroom, children's garden
projects, food farm awareness, micro-enterprise development with
kitchens, and micro-processing to create value-added products for
retail sale. The project services a predominantly Hispanic
population.
Contact(s): Daniel Ross
Francisco Ortiz
Voice: 413-535-1789
The Food Project, Inc., Lincoln, MA
Common Ground Initiative
$120,000
This project connects urban and rural youth and adults to address the
lack of access to fresh produce in Roxbury. It involves the creation
of a youth-run food system including farms and farmers' market and
results in more jobs for teens and an increase in fresh produce for
Roxbury and Lincoln.
Contact(s): Patricia Gray
Gregory Dow Gale
Voice: 617-259-1426
Missoula Nutrition Resources, Missoula, MT
Garden City Harvest Project
$99,000
This comprehensive project includes many activities strongly rooted in
the community and linked to varied community organizations. The goal
is to develop a community farm and neighborhood and backyard gardens
using sustainable agriculture methods. Participants will grow,
harvest, glean and distribute fresh produce to people in need. This
project will demonstrate to the community the art, science and
practice of sustainable agriculture while reducing dependence on
outside sources of produce, encouraging community service and
volunteer opportunities, and addressing welfare-reform.
Contact: Mary Feuersinger-Pittaway
Voice: 406-523-4740
Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee, Knoxville, TN
CAC's Food Connections Project
$31,000
This project will involve creating a green market, picking up produce
from farms, providing "veggie vouchers" for WIC recipients,
establishing community gardens, encouraging restaurants to purchase
local produce, increasing summer food program sites, and developing a
data base to monitor performance of the food system.
Contact: Gail Harris
Voice: 423-546-3500
Institute for Washington's Future, Seattle, WA
New Farmers/New Farm Projects
$69,000
The project creates opportunities for low-income area residents to
gain organic farming and business skills and subsequent access to
farmable land. The project is expected to result in partnerships
designed to help low-income residents and keep farmable lands in
agriculture.
Contact: Don Moshe Shakow
Voice: 206-324-3628
Lightstone Foundation, Moyers, WVA
The Potomac Highlands Community Food Projects
$50,000
The project will improve access to locally grown food, increase
economic opportunities for low-income households, support local
diversified farms and build community support for sustainable family
farming and food security in 5 counties.
Contact: Anthony Smith
Voice: 304-249-5200
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Len Carey
Media Relations
USDA Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service
lcarey@reeusda.gov
Voice: 202/720-1358