This time last year, we announced that our community partner, the Sankofa Initiative of the West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation, was the recipient of one of Feeding America’s 10 Food Security Equity Impact Fund grants. Food banks across the nation, including ours, applied for the grant on behalf of organizations addressing root causes of food insecurity in communities of color. We were thrilled to see our nomination for Sankofa qualify for a $500,000 grant over 2 years.
The Sankofa Initiative is made up of a trio of food and agriculture programs, including community gardens, a community kitchen, and a weekly, seasonal farmers market that has transformed more than 35,000 square feet of blighted properties into opportunity for low-income residents, many of whom are refugees, to grow and sell food. The Initiative creates a self-sustaining cycle of community support:
- Growing culturally relevant food preserves heritage and enriches the neighborhood
- Access to garden plots, kitchen space and education creates economic opportunity for neighbors
- Selling food at the weekly farmers market creates community and provides access to fresh food
- Neighbors in need are empowered to make healthier food choices
In the year since the grant was awarded, Sankofa has been busy! Grant funding has enabled:
- 50 new garden beds to support more local growers
- A second community green house allowing farmers to grow in the off season
- New refrigeration in the community kitchen to support developing food businesses
- Multi-lingual business support for budding local food entrepreneurs, assisting with things like permitting and marketing
- Food vouchers for Sankofa’s farmers market for distribution at local pantries, providing access to healthy food
- Additional staff to manage growing programs
In July, Feeding America invited Sankofa and Food Bank staff to Detroit to share the impact of this exciting grant funding with other grantees We shared the video below to emphasize the impact the Sankofa Initiative has had on its community.