Food on the Move announced a major project to help fight food insecurity and strengthen food systems in Oklahoma, called "The Food Home."
The organization made the announcement on Giving Tuesday, kicking off its first of four phases to complete the Food Home.
Phase one is the Urban Farm, which will cost $7.5 million to build and has an estimated finish date of 10 months from completion. The Urban Farm along with the three other phases, the Community Hub, Market and Food Hub, will all be located in north Tulsa.
“The Food Home is a major step to reinvest in once neglected neighborhoods while making an impact on us all,” says Food on the Move Founder, Taylor Hanson.
The Urban Farm will combine education and agriculture by allowing produce to be grown year-round through aquaponics and hydroponics systems. The farm will also provide training on the new technology.
Local, fresh produce from the farm will be sold to local distributors and vendors while the farm also ensures the availability of fresh produce for local residents in need.
Food on the Move also has plans to engage local school children in agricultural education through its new facilities.
Through a partnership with Tulsa Public Schools, Food on the Move has laid the foundation for a project at north Tulsa's Monroe Demonstration Academy to introduce students to a greater understanding of community health and to use that information to combat food deserts and food insecurity.
“Our concept with Food On The Move was if we could forge relationships, understand the community through pop-up events, pay-as-you-can mobile events, bringing fresh produce to where the greatest need was,” said Hanson. “We’d have the best chance at understanding the long-term solutions needed and the long-term answer to how to transform a food desert into an oasis.”
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