Local Businesses Win Fresh Food Grants

Fresh food. Pixabay License.

The latest round of Fresh Food Access Fund (FFAF) grants will continue to plant seeds of change across the city in pursuit of a healthier and more nourished population of Milwaukeeans.

And a handful of grant recipients are taking that literally, with plans to use their cut of the funds to construct raised beds, micro-farms and gardens.

Take HoneyBee Sage Apothecary & Herbal Beverage Lounge, for example. The wellness-focused business, which opened a new location last year in Bronzeville, will match the $4,221 grant amount to install an indoor hydroponic garden to produce hyper-local greens.

City leaders on Monday morning announced plans to distribute $100,000 worth of grants to seven local businesses and nonprofits to aid in healthy food initiatives. FFAF grants may cover up to 50% of the cash expenditure required for a project, with the awardee required to cover the remaining cost.

Grant recipients, which were selected by a review panel of representatives from within and outside city government, are either located within current USDA-designated food access areas, or have plans to distribute food to residents within those neighborhoods.

“Access to fresh, nutritious foods is essential for healthy families and children, better educational outcomes, and stronger Milwaukee neighborhoods,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson, in a statement. “The Fresh Food Access Fund is once again providing grants for community partners that will work to foster a healthier Milwaukee. I am looking forward to this effort helping expand access to the healthy, nutritious foods that Milwaukeeans need.”

Another recipient, the Dominican Center for Women, will put its $25,000 grant — plus the same amount of its own funds — towards developing a micro-farm. The small-scale, high-yield and sustainably-minded design will grow the Amani AgTech Program with the intent to improve food security and economic development in the neighborhood.

We Got This Community Gardens and Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, receiving $15,500 and $1,518 respectively, will both use funds to construct raised garden beds and other agricultural structures.

Other awardees include Fondy Food Center ($25,000), Friedens Food Pantries ($20,000) and Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center ($8,761), with funding to be used for food storage, signage and food vehicle repairs.

Alderman Khalif Rainey, a longtime advocate of providing fresh foods to underserved communities, led the push for Milwaukee Common Council legislation that created the grant program.

“I look forward to these dollars making an impact in the community by expanding access to healthy food options and promoting healthier lifestyles for residents,” the alderman said in a statement.