Released 7/30/20
Community Farm Alliance and the Louisville Community Grocery partner to support #FeedTheWest efforts by purchasing and distributing produce from local Black-owned farms in Jefferson, LaRue, and Hart counties.
The Louisville Community Grocery is acutely aware of the need for greater access to fresh food in the West End and downtown neighborhoods of Louisville; in just the past four years, these areas have witnessed five grocery stores closing. The group is working to reach 2000+ owners to open a cooperative full-service grocery store in these neighborhoods; one that is accountable to the needs of the neighborhood because the community owns it. Shauntrice Martin, a Board Member of the Louisville Community Grocery, launched the #FeedTheWest initiative to get groceries to families in Louisville’s West End neighborhoods after a downtown Kroger closed its doors on June 1st in the middle of a pandemic. This left thousands of residents, many of whom do not own cars, with an even harder time accessing groceries where no other full-service grocery store operates within a 2-mile radius of this predominately Black neighborhood. Shauntrice is adamant about the need for Black-led movements. “It is absolutely imperative that we as West End residents are the leaders in food justice. A lot of politicians, corporations, and gentrifiers have big plans for West Louisville, but they are too scared of my people to be on the block and support the plans we already have.”
The Louisville Community Grocery has a strong relationship with Community Farm Alliance (CFA), a statewide grassroots membership organization that has been doing deep local food work for nearly two decades, including publishing Bridging the Divide: Growing Self-Sufficiency in Our Food Supply—A Regional Approach for Food Systems in Louisville, Kentucky in 2007. CFA works to strengthen Kentucky’s local food system, promoting programs and policies that support the livelihoods of small farmers and increase access to healthy food for Kentuckians.
Last week, Community Farm Alliance purchased $1400 of produce from local Black farmers—Barbour’s Farm, Cleav’s Family Market, and Kentucky Greens Co. Louisville Community Grocery volunteers then packed and delivered 100 canvas bags of fresh produce to families in the Russell neighborhood on Saturday. Families received a free bag of about $20 worth of fresh locally grown produce. “The more we give people fresh produce instead of processed, we help stretch their dollar with a mindset change,” says Mike Jackson, owner of Kentucky Greens Co. and Louisville Community Grocery Board Secretary. “Having the opportunity to assist with feeding over 100 families lets me know that me and Travis’ (Cleav’s Family Market) work has a larger purpose.”
That impact will continue to ripple out. Community Farm Alliance allocated $2000 to these efforts earlier this summer in the release of the organization’s actions to stand with black farmers and communities. The Louisville Association for Community Economics (LACE), the nonprofit partner for the Louisville Community Grocery, has matched CFA’s initial investment. In the coming weeks, the Louisville Community Grocery and Community Farm Alliance plan to purchase more produce and pack and deliver more bags to families in need.
“With the COVID crisis drying up restaurant and other wholesale markets for some farmers, we saw #FeedTheWest as an opportunity to put more money in farmers’ pockets and get fresh produce to families in need,” says Kelsey Voit, Community Farm Alliance Organizing Director and Louisville Community Grocery Board President. “Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing abolition movement propelled by protests against police brutality have really opened people’s eyes as to what’s not working in our food system and it’s gotten folks to think more deeply and intentionally about how to shift power and build the future we deserve.”