ATLANTIC CITY — Since the nonprofit CROPS was founded in 2016 as a way to provide residents with fresh, farm-to-table food, the organization has been looking to grow.
To continue strengthening its community roots, CROPS (Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces) has relocated from Tanger Outlets The Walk to a new food hub on South Tennessee Avenue.
“We’ve been working on this idea for a long time, with a desire to provide healthy, nutritious food that’s locally grown to everyone,” said CROPs operations manager Alexis Flack at the food hub’s open house on Friday. “After many discussions with various community members, we were able to bring this idea to fruition.”
The Food Hub was made possible by a leadership grant of $5,000 per year over three years from the ThriveAC Foundation.
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A $308,000 grant from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority has allowed the group to purchase items such as a hydroponic system and new refrigerators.
CROPS Executive Director Lisa Newcomb said the space is about one-sixth the size of their previous location, but its central location in the city will make it easier for the group to reach the community.
“The outlet space was in an area that was focused on shopping,” Newcomb said. “There’s residential space in the area, and right above us there’s a restaurant, a yoga studio and another nonprofit, so this is an opportunity to build continuity for our programs.”
Kate O’Malley, who lives in the city’s Orange Loop neighborhood, said she is excited to welcome CROPS to her neighborhood.
“Having something like this in the neighborhood helps everybody,” O’Malley said. “A lot of people who live here don’t have time to drive or take a two-hour bus ride to the farm stand, so this food hub is really going to make a big difference and benefit everybody who lives here.”
CROPS connects individuals with local farmers and distributors through farmers markets, community gardens, outreach, education and a wide range of programs.
Newcomb said the goal is to provide healthy food to residents living in the state’s second-largest food desert.
Food hubs will be spaces where locally grown food can be aggregated, stored, processed and sold to consumers, bridging the gap between farmers and residents.
The space will also be able to host many of the group’s educational workshops, including gardening, eco-art and nutrition workshop series.
“I’m really excited about CROPS and the additional work they’re able to do in our community,” said Ventnor resident Mariel Palamaro, who works with CROPS through Reed Farms, one of the local farmers CROPS partners with. “It means we’ll have more access to vegetables and fresh produce.”
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CROPS, an Atlantic City-based nonprofit that aims to connect residents with farm-fresh food, has relocated from Tanger Outlets to a new food hub at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City’s Orange Loop neighborhood.
CROPS, an Atlantic City-based nonprofit that aims to connect residents with farm-fresh food, has relocated from Tanger Outlets to a new food hub at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City’s Orange Loop neighborhood.
CROPS, an Atlantic City-based nonprofit that aims to connect residents with farm-fresh food, has relocated from Tanger Outlets to a new food hub at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City’s Orange Loop neighborhood.
CROPS, an Atlantic City-based nonprofit that aims to connect residents with farm-fresh food, has relocated from Tanger Outlets to a new food hub at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City’s Orange Loop neighborhood.
CROPS, an Atlantic City-based nonprofit that aims to connect residents with farm-fresh food, has relocated from Tanger Outlets to a new food hub at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City’s Orange Loop neighborhood.
CROPS, an Atlantic City-based nonprofit that aims to connect residents with farm-fresh food, has relocated from Tanger Outlets to a new food hub at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City’s Orange Loop neighborhood.
CROPS, an Atlantic City-based nonprofit that aims to connect residents with farm-fresh food, has relocated from Tanger Outlets to a new food hub at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City’s Orange Loop neighborhood.
CROPS, an Atlantic City-based nonprofit that aims to connect residents with farm-fresh food, has relocated from Tanger Outlets to a new food hub at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City’s Orange Loop neighborhood.
CROPS, an Atlantic City-based nonprofit that aims to connect residents with farm-fresh food, has relocated from Tanger Outlets to a new food hub at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City’s Orange Loop neighborhood.
CROPS, an Atlantic City-based nonprofit that aims to connect residents with farm-fresh food, has relocated from Tanger Outlets to a new food hub at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City’s Orange Loop neighborhood.
Contact Selena Vazquez at:
609-272-7225
svazquez@pressofac.com
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