2024 Seeding Growth Recipient
FOOD STRONG awarded $14,000!

At our 2024 Annual Meeting, GCC members voted to select Food Strong as the recipient of our Club's Seeding Growth funding.  With the $14,000 award, Food Strong held its first ever Fresh Camp, designed to engage high school students who would otherwise not be able to access meaningful summer programming. Campers participated in hands-on activities around gardening, nutrition, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship.  They also partnered with teachers from the Refresh Collective to create original hip hop music with the theme of refreshing their communities through Fresh Foods. The camp took place at Food Strong’s urban farm near the historic Coit Road Farmer’s market.  Campers laughed, connected, rolled up their sleeves, tasted new foods (tomatoes!!), wrote and performed with wonderful energy and positivity.  In fact, Fresh Camp participants will be singing their songs at Food Strong’s annual gala this week!   A parent of one camper shared: "I love that the camp provided my daughter with an opportunity to learn a few new skills as well as build new relationships in a safe and supportive environment. It got my child out of their comfort zone.” To check out a video featuring the Fresh Camp students, please click here.   (As an added bonus, one of GCC’s other Seeding Growth finalists, Spice Field Kitchen, was one of the supporters who made Food Strong’s summer camp possible.  What a wonderful community partnership!  We are all in it together!!)