AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Ogallala Commons has received a $240,000 grant from the Amarillo Area Foundation to support the Texas Foodshed Reconstruction Project.
“Ogallala Commons runs a food hub and brings together people who can help with how to bring people together to work with producers and how to work with agencies that provide nutrition to students and other groups,” said Sarah Griffin, director of grants and community investments at the Amarillo Area Foundation.
John Whitler, executive director of Ogallala Commons, said they serve primarily rural areas and develop leaders to help communities thrive. Whitler said Ogallala Commons is partnering with protein producers to rebuild food pantries across the Panhandle.
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“Our food hub is specifically aimed at supporting food intensification,” Whitler said. “One of the ways to address food insecurity is to address market access for local producers from two different directions. One is to support agricultural intensification. It’s very hard for one small producer to produce enough food for a large contract, but several small producers working together can make enough. So by intensifying agricultural products, it makes it easier to access markets.”
Additionally, Whitler said from an administrative standpoint, it is difficult for agencies to manage relationships with 20 to 50 producers. It would be more beneficial for agencies to go to one food hub and have access to all the produce in the area, improving accessibility.
“From a food insecurity perspective, this is a systemic intervention in the food system that really enables access to fresh food but also addresses other social determinants of health,” Whitler said.
Whittler said determinants of health also include economic prosperity, as many producers struggle to operate sustainably.
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A requirement for receiving a discretionary grant from the AAF is that the project is sustainable, and for Ogallala Commons, rebuilding the Food Hub is sustainable, with impacts that can be measured over several years.
“There are a lot of people who are interested in food production,” Whitler explains, “some of them grow vegetables or do backyard gardening, but some of them produce more than they need and want to get some of that food into the food system. A lot of people go a step further and want to make a living or at least earn a side income from high tunnels.”
Whitler said Ogallala Commons is always looking for producers to bring more fresh food to the area. Community involvement is another reason the project is sustainable.
“We host a lot of local food summit-like events in rural areas around the Panhandle,” Whitler says, “and these are great for people to get involved and increase their knowledge and learn about the producers that are out there and how they can support and connect.”
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It also provides an opportunity for organizations such as school districts, hospitals and senior centers to purchase food from producers in the Panhandle region.
For Ogallala Commons, receiving the grant from AAF follows a show of support and confidence from the Amarillo Area Foundation and paves the way for funding from the Texas Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other grant opportunities.
The impact and success of the project is measured by the number of producers they are able to help reach markets and communities.
“As we build out the infrastructure for our food hub, we will be implementing education programs to help both institutions connect with local food and local producers access those institutions’ markets and small retail stores,” Whittler said.
To stay up to date on the work Ogallala Commons is doing and learn more about the food pantry rebuilding project, visit the organization’s website
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