Food On the Move Inc

PROJECT PURPOSE

This project is a Community Hub. This space includes public outdoor space for special events and markets featuring raised community grow beds and permaculture with edible plant life and an indoor event Barn and demonstration kitchen for chefs, neighbors, farmers both rural and urban and foodies of every background. The community hub will be a place of education and purpose. Oklahoma farmers can enjoy continuing education and best practices classes, health assessments will be administered, community classes in health, wellness, and various life skills will be offered, and conferences for Oklahomans centered around agriculture and entrepreneurship. Fostering relationships and bringing people together is at the heart of Food On The Move?s approach to transformational change so establishing this central space is key to ensuring all our partners, neighbors and leaders can come together and make this place feel like home.

EVIDENCE

We have an agribusiness class at Monroe Demonstration Academy. Student enrollment increases every semester. Students are learning how to grow produce, live a healthier lifestyle, and various career opportunities. The aquaponics industry will grow at a rate CAGR of 14.5% through 2025. We will be training individuals in this field. The five main barriers that lead to food insecurity are; Access (Finding healthy food), Economic (Affording healthy food), Educational (Making healthy food choices and cooking), Cultural (Wanting healthy food that is available and affordable), and Health (high rates of stroke, diabetes, heart disease). Our project addresses each issue on a local and state level. More sources are available upon request. The money we are requesting we allow us to have a training/education are for health assessments, cooking classes, and several other continuing educational classes

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Our main area of service is Tulsa food deserts, but we will impact the entire state. Weekly we serve people from every age range and background who need healthy food. More than 35% of North Tulsa?s population lives in poverty compared with 17% in the rest of the city. The community in North Tulsa tends to have a larger African American population, impoverished residents, higher rates of unemployment, and lower life expectancies. Residents must choose between going hungry, eating fast food, or going to a corner store where all the food options are heavily processed with salt, high fructose corn syrup, and saturated fat. Those who live in North Tulsa have a higher rate of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. The average black male in North Tulsa lives to just 54 years in contrast to an average of 73 years for a white male in South Tulsa; this is a result of food access and other legacy issues surrounding food insecurity. Every week since the pandemic, we have encountered an increased number of people who need food, employment and are suffering from health issues. Previously under-employed individuals are now unemployed and need job training; their families need access to healthy food.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Each program participant will provide registration information to track the program's impact and gather detailed information on how the training is utilized. Programs include, but are not limited to, access to affordable produce, distribution of locally grown food, entrepreneurship, workforce development, agriculture trainings, health assessments, and other community engagement programming. Tracking the amount of produce grown and distributed, as well as participants in agricultural training classes connecting farmers to new farming practices. The program?s success will produce new farmers, introduce new farming practices, establish the return of the local grocery store, and create a food hub for state farmers.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma