Foundation Journal

The news about Fresh Start , a new non-profit grocery store in St. Joseph, bodes well for people without access to affordable and healthy food -- convenience stores don't count. This lack of close access to a food or grocery store in low-income areas is described as a "food desert." Fresh Start, bordering two US census tracts designated as food deserts, is not waiting for grocery store chains to address this problem. View Grocery Stores near Fresh Start in St. Joseph Mo in a larger map How is a food desert defined? The US Department of Agriculture defines a food desert as a low-income census tract where a substantial number or share of residents has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store. To qualify as a "low-income community," a census tract must have either: 1) a poverty rate of 20 percent or higher, OR 2) a median family income at or below 80 percent of the area's median family income; To qualify as a "low-access communi...

The nation's first non-profit grocery store opened two days ago in St. Joseph , Missouri, narrowly beating Philabundance, the Philadelphia food bank, at selling food at discounted costs to low-income families. Actually, the claim of being the first non-grocery store could be debated, given the success of a mobile grocery store in Minnesota with 27 outlets that offers up to a 40% discount. Let's not quibble as Fresh Start, St. Joe's non-profit grocery store, starts this grand experiment because it's really about placing stores in or near " food deserts ." Putting aside food co-ops and similar ventures, it seems a bit of stretch to think that we had to wait until 2013 before someone came up with the notion of a non-profit grocery store. Shouldn't access to nutritious and affordable food be a basic right to everyone in one of the wealthiest nations of the world? You can bet there's going to be strong opposition to these efforts, especially i...

Will Allen with Milwaukee-based Growing Power described an astonishing collection of the group's food projects during the "Abolish Food Deserts" presentation at the Anita Gorman Conservation Discovery Center on August 27, 2011. Some have called the efforts of this organization a "good food revolution." Taking the pulse of participants of the event indicate there are a number of food growers and advocates willing to join the movement or re-double efforts here in Kansas City. "Abolish Food Deserts" event in Kansas City on August 27, 2011 (from left): Sasteh Mosley with Green Acres Urban Farm and Research Project, Will Allen with Growing Power, and Ernest Bradley with Lincoln University--St. Louis Urban Impact Center. Local growers, farmers, and advocates could barely contain their enthusiasm after the presentation, asking practical questions about the array of methods and practices described by Allen. Local growers asked about worms, composti...

The bold vision of East Meets West of Troost was on display during a five-stop urban farm tour on September 2. Sasteh Mosley, tour guide with many years of working in the urban agriculture field, provided a wide view of the effort of both East Meets West, as well as other groups. Sasteh's co-worker SahjKaya accompanied the tour. Left to right: Steve Mann with EcoRadio KC, Sasteh Mosley with East Meets West, and Desire' Hendricks at Garden of Eden urban farm near 27th and Prospect in Kansas City. East Meets West focuses on three key areas -- urban farming, recycling, and young artist support. The group's ambitious program to reclaim areas such as the tough neighborhood around 27th and Prospect is underscored by the replacement of crosses marking deaths at the intersection with large vegetable farms. These large garden plots may not always be visible during a drive through this area, but abundant gardens appear when we walk up to the plots, like at the first stop ...