Germaine Jenkins and Fresh Future Farm have made another huge leap forward in their quest to\u00a0provide access to healthy food\u00a0and\u00a0nutrition education, while\u00a0fostering\u00a0socially just economic development in their community.<\/p>\n
Yesterday the Small Business Administration awarded\u00a0$4.4 million in prizes around the country to\u00a080 winners of the second annual Growth Accelerator Fund Competition.<\/p>\n
Fresh Future Farm will receive $50,000 in order to\u00a0build a certified kitchen on their urban farm\u00a0\u00a0in the Chicora-Cherokee community, which is a food desert challenged with high rates of poverty and unemployment. The kitchen will allow Fresh Future Farm to\u00a0process fresh produce on-site, create value-added food products to diversify their grocery offerings, and rent the space to trained local food entrepreneurs for a nominal fee, thereby fostering micro-entrepreneurial activities, and increasing their own viability as a self-sustaining nonprofit farm, market, and kitchen.<\/p>\n
Fresh Future Farm’s fields are already producing loads of fruit, which is currently being donated to local organizations. The farm store itself has not yet opened due to contractor delays and final permitting, but a Fresh Future Farm stand that will accept SNAP payments is expected to open by mid-September.<\/p>\n
Germaine\u00a0has recognized from the start that there is more to addressing “food desert” issues than simply improving access to fresh food.\u00a0Education and economic empowerment are equally important and this award allows Fresh Future Farm to accelerate their service to the community in both of these areas.<\/p>\n
FOR MORE INFORMATION…<\/strong><\/p>\n DOWNLOAD:<\/strong><\/p>\n FFF\u00a0Press Release “FFF in 2015 Class of SBA Accelerator Cash Award Recipients<\/a>“<\/p>\n SBA Press Release “SBA Boosts Economic Impact of Accelerators with $4.4 Million in Prizes<\/a>“<\/p>\n