The Linn County Food Systems Council has awarded $132,300 in grants to 12 local organizations through its Food Access, Resiliency, and Equity (FARE) Grant Program. The FARE Grant Program is a Linn County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funded project administered by the Linn County Food Systems Council to replace lost public sector revenue in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Linn County Board of Supervisors allocated $250,000 in ARPA funding to support local food initiatives to increase food security. The remaining funding will be awarded through future grant cycles. The next FARE grant cycle will open in July 2023.
The Food Systems Council established the FARE grant program to support food related businesses and nonprofit organizations in Linn County that continue to play a key role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic; promote public health and wellness; and address systemic food-related challenges.
This award recipients for the first FARE grant cycle are:
- Black Earth Gardens: $15,000
- Buffalo Ridge Orchard: $25,000
- Cathy Bayne: $1,000
- Children of Promise Mentoring Program: $1,300
- Echollective Farm: $10,000
- United We March Forward: $7,000
- Theo’s Produce: $15,000
- Marion Cares: $1,000
- Nupolu’s Emerging Farm: $15,000
- Olivet Neighborhood Mission: $15,000
- Over the Moon Farm and Flowers: $20,000
- Southeast Linn Community Center: $7,000
“The funded projects ranged from the purchase of a tractor and fencing materials to increase local production, to vehicles, cold storage, and kitchen equipment to help prepare and distribute food for those that need it,” said Food Systems Council member August Stolba. “Individually, each of the 12 funded projects will have a huge impact in Linn County, helping to build a more accessible, resilient, and equitable food system. Together, they paint an amazing picture of what an accessible, resilient, and equitable food system looks like.”
Additional information about the FARE grant program is available on Linn County’s website at LinnCountyIowa.gov/FAREgrant.