21 Acres Center for Local Food and Sustainable Living
Our Grant to support the Food Hub at 21 Acres went directly to the purchase of a refrigerated truck for the distribution of local farm product that is grown by sustainable farmers using beyond-organic growing methods. The funding of the transportation component for the Food Hub will keep costs low for participating farmers and buyers, ultimately providing more locally grown food to a larger population.
21 Acres addresses some of the biggest hurdles which prevent affordable access to locally grown sustainable food. The Food Hub accepts each farmer’s product — individually boxed – tracks it through an online system, aggregates it on a truck, and delivers the volume of food that is needed for providers of large meal service programs. The Hub maintains the identity of each of the individual farmers while allowing large organizations such as the University of Washington Medical Center and Harborview Hospital to easily purchase from multiple farmers. In addition, the Food Hub helps as many as 40 childcare centers and congregate meal sites including Lifelong Aids Alliance, Chicken Soup Brigade, Pike Market Senior Center and others, to be able to purchase the very best farm product grown here in our Puget Sound regional food shed.
The Not Yet Foundation supports 21 Acres’ goal to provide healthy and affordable food access to as many people as possible, while at the same time supporting sustainable agriculture in our local farms.