Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the City Clerk to enter into a grant agreement with Franklinton Farms in support of the Youth Garden Education Expansion and Lettuce ‘N Joy Franklinton Food Truck.
Franklinton Farms’ (FF) mission is to nourish neighborhood wellbeing and connection through farming, gardening, and education. FF is a neighborhood provider of fresh food access, therapeutic gardening education, safe natural spaces, ecological beautification, workforce development, and connections across culture groups. Their work supports a thriving Franklinton, advances workforce preparedness for young neighbors (starting with academic and social-emotional wellbeing of preschool participants and up to the hard-agricultural or STEM skills of apprentices), and supports food sovereignty alongside an accessible fresh food culture in a USDA-classified Food Desert.
While Franklinton is rich in history and ingenuity, many struggle with poverty and the accompanying effects, culminating in the neighborhood having the lowest life expectancy rate for the state of Ohio-just 60 years old (Health Policy Institute of Ohio, 2021). FF proposes to expand the Youth Gardening Initiatives (YGIs) to reach all schools in Franklinton, including on-site gardens-serving Starling STEM PreK-8 (100 students reached), Avondale Elementary (100), CCA Dana (100), CCA State Street (50), and Franklinton H.S. (50). Older students can enroll in Farming Apprenticeship incorporating life skills and hard-skill workforce readiness. FF will also hire one Apprentice for full time summer work in 2023 at $15/hour, advancing their career readiness.
In addition, FF will leverage city support to acquire a food truck for community programming. The truck will host both free community outreach events (produce and prepared meals) and revenue generating events selling prepared foods (at locations such as Gravity or 400 Square). The former will serve to spread awareness of other offerings (garden education, food d...
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