JULIETTA MARKET WILL BE A MULTI-VENDOR PUBLIC MARKET THAT WILL CREATE A PLATFORM FOR SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH, LOCAL HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS, CULTURAL EXCHANGE, AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR LEXINGTON KY.

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1024428
• Grant No.: 2020-33800-33138
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $201,558.00
• Proposal No.: 2020-07501
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2020
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2023
• Grant Year: 2020
• Program Code: [LN.C]- Community Foods

Recipient Organization
NOLI CDC CORPORATION
714 N LIMESTONE
LEXINGTON,KY 405083607

Performing Department
(N/A)

Non Technical Summary
The Julietta Market will provide a cultural and neighborhood nexus that fosters communityinteraction and collaboration through locally grown and produced food and local products, businessdevelopment, and social services. Its goal is to be for, by, and about our neighbors.The principal aspect of this program is to create a non-profit multi-vendor public market modeledafter public markets from cultures around the world. Julietta Market will be primarily neighborhood-focused,serving the needs of the individuals residing and working in Lexington's North End. Beyond this primaryfocus, it will serve the city and the broader Bluegrass region in many ways. Julietta Market will also provideopportunities for long-time neighborhood residents to start businesses through assistance programs andreduced-cost vendor booths. Julietta Market will meet an enormous need for a community gathering spacein Lexington's North End, as demonstrated through community research projects.Another major aspect of the proposal is to create an aggregation and Shared Kitchen platform forregional farmers and agricultural producers. This location, conveniently located, will serve as a hub forproduce drop-off and a central processing center for regional farmers for value-added production. Thesevalue-added products will then be sold and distributed to larger institutional buyers at an affordable rate -bringing more locally-grown foods into the market, and giving regional farmers a way to access larger tieredpurchasers.The Market and Shared Kitchen facilities will anchor broader program offerings including socialservice organizations, an indoor public park, music stage, a community meeting space, neighborhoodinformation distribution, and more.

Animal Health Component

80%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

5%

Applied

80%

Developmental

15%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
704	5010	1010	50%
805	6199	3010	50%

Knowledge Area
805 - Community Institutions, Health, and Social Services; 704 - Nutrition and Hunger in the Population;

Subject Of Investigation
6199 - Economy, general/other; 5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism; 3010 - Economics;

Keywords

community food access

food desert

local produce

public market

shared kitchen

urban agriculture

Goals / Objectives
Vision: Increase the affordability of and accessibility to healthy, locally-grown fresh and prepared foodsfor residents in the North Limestone area, through the development and operation of food storage andproduction infrastructure at Julietta Market.Equity Goal:Create an equitable environment that promotes the flourishing of businesses owned bymembers of the neighborhood's marginalized groups, and provides affordable pricing based on eachvendor's circumstances.Objective 1:Structure and maintain a tenant selection process where top priority is given tobusinesses meeting 3 or more of the following marginalized group criteria: Gender: non-male ownedbusiness, Race: Person-of-Color owned business, Geography: neighborhood business, ADA: business ownerwith a disability, Income: low-income business owner. Those meeting 3 or more of these criteria will qualifyfor 50% reduction in the fee to use the kitchen & cold storage facilities.Objective 2:Measure, track, and analyze use over time, to confirm equitable knowledge of, access to, and utilization of shared kitchen facilities to confirm system, and adjust tjhe process as necessary to get closer to the Goal.Infrastructure Capacity Building Goal:create a facility that increases Lexington's collective capacity forfostering food-based businesses and food growers/producersObjective 1: Use shared kitchen facilities to add capacity to community for 30 food-based businesses and 10 farmers to processand sell 15,000 pounds of healthy locally grown food per year by 2022.Objective 2:Adapt kitchen layout, use, scheduling, and operation to maximize community utilization, informed by monthly surveys of all users, and bi-monthly canvassing of neighbors and food-business community.Infrastructure Access Goal:Create and operate cold storage infrastructure at Julietta Market that facilitatesconnection between food growers/producers and neighbors.Objective 1:Cooler/Freezer space will be utilized by no less than 20 local food businesses, as wellas a place to store and aggregate regionally grown fresh produce. The cooler/freezer will be operated at noless than 80% storage capacity, with a target of 95% utilization within 6 months of coming online. The foodhoused and aggregated in these storage facilities will reach 1,000 individuals over the course of the 1st year,no less than 500 of which will be North Limestone neighbors and/or low-income.Objective 2:Adapt cooler/freezer layout, use, scheduling, and operation to maximize community utilization, informed by monthly surveys of all users, and bi-monthly canvassing of neighbors and food-business community.Infrastructure Access Goal:Create and operate 2 complete kitchen cook lines and associated preparation and storage space operated as shared kitchen facilities at Julietta Market, allowing small food businesses to have access to the equipment they need, whilemaximizing the utilization of this infrastructure.Objective 1:Kitchen space will be utilized by no less than 20 local food businesses, givingpreference to Julietta Market vendors. The kitchen facilities will be in use no less than 50% of the time, with atarget of 75% utilization within 6 months of coming online. The food produced in these kitchen facilities willreach 2,500 individuals over the course of the 1st year, no less than 1,000 of which will be North Limestoneneighbors and/or low-income.Objective 2:Adapt shared kitchen layout, use, scheduling, and operation to maximize community utilization, informed by monthly surveys of all users, and bi-monthly canvassing of neighbors and food-business community.Food Access Goal:Create and operate a Produce Kiosk at Julietta Market, and operate the Kiosk inpartnership with Seedleaf's Market Growers, Common Good graduates, as well as Fayette County PublicSchools students interning with NoLi CDC.Objective 1:Operate kiosk 50 hours a week. Provide educational information about the produce,food preparation, and healthy outcomes information. Sell 90% of the produce locally grown by Seedleaf'sMarket Growers. Set up Produce Kiosk SNAP and Bluegrass Double Dollars programs, to make produce ableto be purchased through these subsidized reduced rate programs. The employees staffing the Kiosk will bepaid a living wage based. The produce sold at this Kiosk will reach 6,200 individuals over the course of the1st year of operation, no less than 3,000 of which will be North Limestone neighbors and/or low-income.Food Access Goal:Increase access to healthy locally grown foods within walking distance of low-incomehouseholds.Objective 1:By 2023 increase the percentage of low income families with healthy food access in a 15 minute walk / 1 mile radius by 20%.Objective 2:Adapt communication strategies to maximizecommunity utilization, informed by monthly surveys of all customers and employees, as well as regular canvassing of neighbors and food-business community.Food Affordability Goal:Create and operate a tiered "pay-what-you-can" pricing structure for the producesold at the Produce Kiosk.Objective 1:Create a tiered pricing structure where customers self-select if they can pay full-price orhalf-price for the produce sold. The goal is to have this be a 50/50 split.Food Education Goal:Provide education on the benefits of healthy foods and healthy food preparationObjective 1:Partner with community food access partners to build a robust food access network and coaltion. This includes Black Soil: Our Better Nature, Seedleaf, Community Farm Alliance, Castlewood Community Market, and Fayette County Health Department to provide healthy food education at the Produce Kiosk and monthly cooking classes in the Shared Kitchen facilities.Objective 2:Leverage partnerships to educate and train neighborhood families & individuals on healthy eating. Contact 20,000 residents, have 1,500 respond as interested, educate 300, leading to 50 households buying regularly from the Produce Kiosk.Sustainability Goal:Create & Operate a self-sustaining non-profit public market & shared kitchen facility.Objective 1:Create a community public market & shared kitchen facility that is self-sustainingthrough leasing of memberships to the shared kitchen, by providing a range of affordable leasing ratesbased on each member's circumstances. By March 2022 Julietta Market will gross enough income inkitchen & kiosk leasing fees to cover all operating and staffing expenses, as well as routine and emergencymaintenance costs for all equipment.

Project Methods
The Goals & Intended Outcomes will be achieved through diligent and persistent collaborationbetween NoLi CDC staff & Board, neighbors, community partner organizations, design & constructioncontractors, the building owner, and suppliers. NoLi CDC has spent the past year raising awareness, meetingwith stakeholders, hearing them and answering their questions, as well as responding to all of this bydesigning and planning what is now conceived of as Julietta Market. In the year looking forward, NoLi CDCwill begin construction build-out of the Phase 1 spaces, which include the Shared Kitchen, Cold Storage, andKiosk facilities. These facilities will be developed in tandem with the construction of 60 small business kiosks,and will constitute the 1st phase of the Julietta Market. These facilities will be completed and operationalfor a March 2021 opening date, and Cultural Stage, Indoor Playground, and 8 Permanent Food Stall facilitieswill be constructed in the 2nd phase of build-out. Food vendors (as well as art, craft, & service vendors) willrent one of these 60 kiosks, will utilize the Cold Storage to store their raw produce, meats, dairy, etc., and willuse the Shared Kitchen to prepare their food products, which will then be sold out of the kiosks, at cateredevents, or elsewhere. NoLi CDC will manage the assigning of cooler/freezer space and the scheduling of theShared Kitchen, as well as managing the supply chain that brings fresh produce to the Produce Kiosk.

Progress 09/01/20 to 06/24/23

Outputs
Target Audience:We are a small business incubator currently working with 44 entrepreneurs. Their businesses fall under one or more of the following categories; retail, service, food, health and wellness or art. We are committed to serving the underserved community. Currently 76% of our entrepreneurs are women or a person of color, while 50% make below the AMI. In addition to focusing on minority and women owned businesses we offer opportunities to veterans, disabled individuals and people who have been previously incarcerated. In an effort to level the playing field, we have created a space where people from all walks of life and backgrounds can pursue achievement and success without having to confront many of the typical barriers to entry. In addition to offering a space, we also offer programming for our entrepreneurs and the community around the market. We have partnered with Food Chain and Seedleaf to offer dye classes, free produce, seeds and a monthly event for the neighborhood. During these monthly events (First Sunday's at Julietta) our neighbors are invited to learn about aquaponics, volunteer at a community garden, climate change, art opportunities, immersive learning experiences and healthy eating. For the past 10 months our community kitchen has been operating. In our kitchen we provide cold and dry storage as well as all cooking equipement and untensils for our food entreprenuers. Currently we have 6 businesses operating out of our community kitchen, the total we can have is 12. Out of the six, five our monority women owned and operated. Changes/Problems:As with most long-term projects, there came lots of changes and problems that Julietta Market had to pivot to address. The first came with COVID-19. The kitchen project became delayed due to the pandemic and its fixed cost (space rental and utlities) stayed constant with no additional revenue from kitchen operations. Initially the kitchen was supposed to be completed in .... but wasn't fully functional until late 2022. Upon completion in 2022, revenue has begun to steadily grow as recruitment of tenants increases. This led to Julietta Market's second problem. At first the market believed most of its tenants would be hourly with a less popular monthly lease option. However, there has been an increased demand in monthly kitchen leases. This affects the amount of people that the kitchen can house and forced us to scale back our operations. Julietta expexcted to have more than 30 small businesses and 10 farmerscylcingin and out of the kithcen but instead settled for 10 monthly small businesses leases and 1 farming partnership. At the current rental rate offered, there is still a gap between the lease rates assignedand the rate needed for the kitchen to sustain itself. Since Julietta Market is a nonprofit with a mission of affordability, raising rates would be counterintuitive to the mission of our market. However, Julietta Market is intent on serving the North Lexington community despite this problems and has dedicated the first Sunday of every month to host educational events and fresh produce stalls in Julietta. Another problem we encountered came with the market's partnership to Black Soil Kentucky. Black Soil experienced sudden growth leadingto their move to another location. Growing their venture was a primary goal for Black Soil. However, this means Julietta no longer has a lease with them through the kitchen. They rent out space hourly on occassion but our main partnership isn't what we planned for it to be. Additionally, Julietta Market had a partnership with an organization from the University of Kentucky that has since been dismantled. They were supposed to handle the reporting and analyzing of various kitchen metrics. The payment system used by Julietta Market, Food Corridor, tracks payment and business metrics but not social metrics such as produce sold and distributed to the community. Lastly,Julietta Market faced was with a sudden change in leadership at the tale end of the pandemic. The kitchen was owned and operated by North Limestone Community Development Corporation. NOLICDC was a parent company for Julietta Market until our seperation in 2022. The market itself underwent change in leadership before this and settledon its new Executive Director, Adina Tatum. In late 2022/early 2023the kitchen's owernership was passed to Julietta Market where it is today. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our market currenlty houses 44 entreprenuers and some of these small business owners employee 1 to 3 employees from the neighborhood. In our community kitchen we have new food entreprenuers that have not had expeince in a shared kitchen space. They are gettting training in operating a food business in a professional enviornment, how to certify with the local health department as well as getting proper certificates to operate their food business. These businesses are developing the skills to order food in a way that reduces waste as well as increases their profit. In our public market space, our businesses have weekly access to Small Business Development Center and well as access to resources to help them legally and properly run their businesses in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We have built community connections with banks, insurance agencies and staffing agencies. Our entreprenuers are getting to run their new businesses without all the overhead costs or barriers most entreprenuers face. Our make provides a space for staff to work in a diverse environment and creating a more equitable economic development opportunity for the BIPOC community. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Julietta Market focuses on impacting communities of color, women-owned businesses, and other communities of need within Lexington. The results can be seen through news articles, infographics on social media, and educational programs distributed to youth in the greater Lexington area. In addition, the market has hosted the Lexington Farmers Market to provide fresh produce to the historically food insecure north side of Lexington. Our first Sundays' at Julietta event series also provides fresh produce to the community from our local nonprofit partner Seedleaf. Click the link below to see articles written for or about Julietta Market. https://www.juliettamarket.com/press What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Equity Goal:Create an equitable environment that promotes the flourishing of businesses owned by members of the neighborhood's marginalized groups, and provides affordable pricing based on each vendor's circumstances. Objective 1:?RESPONSE: We have been able to focus on the BIPOC community maintaining more than 60% women owned and minority owned businesses. We have also kept maintained our affordable rent scale, however it has affected the organization negatively keeping us operting at a deficit. Objective 2:RESPONSE: The kitchen is utilized 7 days a week. We have an online scheduling service that tracks the use of equipment and who is using it. Infrastructure Capacity Building Goal:create a facility that increases Lexington's collective capacity for fostering food-based businesses and food growers/producers Objective 1:RESPONSE: Our kitchen opened the end of 2022, we have not reached these goals. We have had 20 food based businesses utilize the community kitchen either consistently or as needed. Objective 2:RESPONSE: The layout , use and scheduling is being adapted and refined as we add more businesses to the mix. We have not done any surveying orcanvassing as the orgianal organizationg that was taking on the role (Brian Haynes) has been dismantled. Infrastructure Access Goal:Create and operate cold storage infrastructure at Julietta Market that facilitates connection between food growers/producers and neighbors. Objective 1:RESPONSE: In the time it took to get the storage complete other projects had been completed in and around the neighborhood. We are advertising and working on getting the storage to full capacity. Objective 2:RESPONSE: Our freezer has bee equiped with lockable cages and divided into rental sections. We currently have 6 businesses utilizing our freezer. We have gotten feedback on security issues and had several health department visit to make sure everything is up to code. Infrastructure Access Goal:Create and operate 2 complete kitchen cook lines and associated preparation and storage space operated as shared kitchen facilities at Julietta Market, allowing small food businesses to have access to the equipment they need, while maximizing the utilization of this infrastructure. Objective 1:RESPONSE: The kitchen is active 100% of the time the market is open and it is utilized on days we are closed to the public. Objective 2:RESPONSE: The layout is adapting everyday to accomidate the capacity. Scheduling is seemless as we use an online portal the schedule and reserve equipment. Food Access Goal:Create and operate a Produce Kiosk at Julietta Market, and operate the Kiosk in partnership with Seedleaf's Market Growers, Common Good graduates, as well as Fayette County Public Schools students interning with NoLi CDC. Objective 1: RESPONSE:50 Hours is not posible, the market does not have enough foot traffic to be oen this many hours. We are actually in the process of reloacting to a more visible location. We host a monthly event providing eduacaitonal information on climate control, produce, and food prep. We aer collaborting with Seedleaf for this monthly event along with several other non profit organizations. Unfortunaley, Seedleaf growers do not have the capacity to commit that much produce to the market at the moment but I am working on a CSA program for the market. Food Access Goal:Increase access to healthy locally grown foods within walking distance of low-incomehouseholds. Objective 1:RESPONSE: We allow Seedleaf to use our land for a community garden at no cost to them that is less than a 1 minute walk from the market. We also have more than 10 food businesses in the market creating food access in the market. Objective 2:RESPONSE: We do not have the capacity to perform this objective at the moment. We have put QR codes up in the market for surveys in mulitple languages but have yet to get resonses. Food Affordability Goal:Create and operate a tiered "pay-what-you-can" pricing structure for the produce sold at the Produce Kiosk. Objective 1:RESPONSE: We do not have a produce kiosk at the moment. We did have one in partnership with BlackSoil but they have moved into their own facilty but it is still located on the same campus as the market. Food Education Goal:Provide education on the benefits of healthy foods and healthy food preparation. Objective 1:RESPONSE: We have created a great relationship with Seedleaf andFayette County Health Department. We are working on programming for the shared kitchen but it will not be launched fully until 2023. Covid, funding, and transistion inleadershi have prohibited our efforts in this objective. Objective 2:RESPONSE: No progress on this objective. Sustainability Goal:Create & Operate a self-sustaining non-profit public market & shared kitchen facility. Objective 1: RESPONSE: We are not self sustaining at the moment but are making changes in the near future to be. We are renting from a for profit developer and the rent is too high for usto fulfill our mission of affordable leasing and cover all the costs of operating the market.

Publications

Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:BIPOC, Below Median incomepopulation, veterans, disabled and previously incarcerated. Changes/Problems:Noli CDC done not currently have an ED.When the last one left the reporting got missed for the NIFA grant. We lost our partnership wwht the organzation that was programing our fresh food kiosk. Thiscaused our farmers market to close. We are waiting on suppiles to get the kitchen up and running. Our organization has had some finacial struggles in regards to operations and inflation to get need materials. Our vendors have need moer assitance than budgeted to get there kiosk operational and we have helped in that aspect. To get a head there was a reduced rental rate negotiated and we are now in the repayment process, which causes our month to month to be inflated. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? North end Lexington food needs Small business development needs Costs of doing business during Covid Types of business that thrive and don't in a public market How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Newsletters Infographics Social Media Interviews What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Activate Shared Ktichen Developnew partnerships for produce (Seedleaf, LFM) Open a new fresh food kiosk Bring on Vounteers to survey and canvas neighborhood

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Equity Goal: Objective 1:Structure and maintain a tenant selection process where top priority is given to businesses meeting 3 or more of the following marginalized group criteria: Gender: non-male owned business , Race: Person-of-Color owned business, Geography: neighborhood business, ADA: business owner with a disability, Income: low-income business owner. Current percentages: 69.2% are owned by women 66.7% are owned by minorities 61.5% make below the AMI 15.4% are owned by disabled, veterans, or previously incarcerated people 51.3% are owned by locals in the neighborhood Infrastructure Access Goal: Objective 1:Measure, track, and analyze use over time, to confirm equitable knowledge of, access to, and utilization of shared kitchen facilities to confirm system, and adjust the process as necessary to get closer to the Goal. We currently have 8 food based businesses that are tentant in the market or in the neghborhood storaging in the freezer or utilizing dry storage. Objective 2:Adapt cooler/freezer layout, use, scheduling, and operation to maximize community utilization, informed by monthly surveys of all users, and bi-monthly canvassing of neighbors and food-business community. We have an online application process that asks if the shared kitchen is needed. Because it is not fully functioning we have ceated a waitlist with current vendors at the top and in order of application recieved. We plan to offer hourly and monthly rental to maximize and created equitable use. Food Access Goal:Create and operate a Produce Kiosk at Julietta Market, and operate the Kiosk in partnership with Seedleaf's Market Growers, Common Good graduates, as well as Fayette County Public Schools students interning with NoLi CDC. This kiosk was created and operated for approximately a year by Black Soil.During that time it was set up as KY Proud, set up to take EBT, Double Dollars and SNAP. The kiosk was operated for 125 hours monthly in partnership with Black Soil. Seedleaf is the only partnership that is still remaining and we are looking into collaborting with Lexington Farmers Market. ?Objective 1:Operate kiosk 50 hours a week. Provide educational information about the produce,food preparation, and healthy outcomes information. Sell 90% of the produce locally grown by Seedleaf'sMarket Growers. Set up Produce Kiosk SNAP and Bluegrass Double Dollars programs, to make produce ableto be purchased through these subsidized reduced rate programs. The employees staffing the Kiosk will bepaid a living wage based. The produce sold at this Kiosk will reach 6,200 individuals over the course of the1st year of operation, no less than 3,000 of which will be North Limestone neighbors and/or low-income. Seedleaf took on a new ED and she was unaware of the previous commitmnt and partnership. They are now at capacity for what they can do but we are working together to create dyeing classes (plant based), a CSA, Incollaborting with Black Soil, she refused to share an intellectual data with us from the year of opperating the Fresh Food Kisok. Employee where paid $15 an hour. Programing that took place during that time: WellCare (free produce provided to pregant women and their families (500)). End of day produce given to vendors at market at no charge Food Access Goal: Objective 1:By 2023 increase the percentage of low income families with healthy food access in a 15 minute walk / 1 mile radius by 20%. We are working reactivating our fresh food options and access in the market as BlackSoil has left. However they have set up a farmers market in the parking lot of the busilding we occupy. Sustainability Goal Objective 1:Create a community public market & shared kitchen facility that is self-sustaining through leasing of memberships to the shared kitchen, by providing a range of affordable leasing rates based on each member's circumstances. By March 2022 Julietta Market will gross enough income in kitchen & kiosk leasing fees to cover all operating and staffing expenses, as well as routine and emergency maintenance costs for all equipment. We have created an affordable and market rate rent scale. Our current monthly operating budget is $30,000 and we are bringing in on average of $25,000 in revenue and sponsorships. However, our kitchen is not being full utilized.

Publications

• Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: "Clearly, one very important player in both Juliettas emergence and evolution is the City of Lexington. According to City Councilman James Brown, government agencies identified numerous food gaps, (e.g., food deserts) as far back as 2009. Julietta Market is filling that gap with lots of healthy food and educational opportunities. The Market is heaven sent, and the Community Food Project grant made it happen! He underscored the citys on-going commitment to a just, local food system in the person of Ashton Potter-Wright, Director of Local Food and Agricultural Development who occupies a key position in Lexington Mayor Linda Gortons office. Ashton co-developed (along with Andrea James) the citys Bluegrass Farm to Table initiative which secured maximum impact for farmers and consumers from Double (SNAP) Dollars, Senior Farmers Market Coupons, and GusNIP funds, all of which are accepted and used at Julietta. As Ashton described herself, Im a connector! While the strength of the local food network and its associated partnerships is undeniable to Juliettas story, where the Market sets itself apart is the commitment to and support for local business development. Finishing up a delicious local lunch salad courtesy of Black Soil, I ask Juliettas Director of Operations, Adina Tatum, to explain their relationship to their vendors. Adina, who previous to taking her current position only 8 months ago, ran a bridal shop for 14 years, does a lot of vendor training. Since were an incubator for new and developing businesses, we have to assist them with details theyre not familiar with, like on-line sales reporting and securing a certificate of occupancy from the building inspector. What might be described as adult hand-holding, Adina helps them navigate all the difficult business realities while remaining sensitive to the fact that her vendors have families and other jobs to tend to. Though Adina has a charming personality and skill-set uniquely suited to her demanding responsibilities, shes also passionate about Juliettas mission. My hope, she asserts, is that our vendors will source [all] their produce locally. Thatnot gentrificationwill grow our community and our farms. Thats why I walk our shoppers around the Market so that they learn why local food and locally owned businesses are important.

Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience continues to be the nearest community within the vicinity of the market, as well as those vendors within the market itself. The nearest neighborhood is considered low to low-middle income with a largeBlackand Latinex population. Lexington's north end demographic, though evolving, still has a significant majority thatstruggles with addressing the issues plagued by underserved neighborhoods, such as healthy disparities, income disparities and lack of higher education that impacts all demographics. The connection to black farmers has made the connection to minority communities more lucrative and adds to the diversity of those seeking healthy food options at the market in an effort to support localminority farmers. Utilizing connections to the vendors within the market, many of whom live within walking distance of the market, has been a convenient way to get healthy food options to minority and local neighbors. With our school systems just starting back up, we are now taping into the local community via the family resource center at the nearby elementary, located just two blocks from our building. Changes/Problems:This project has encountered some challenges in its first year. In addition to the standard delays based on the pandemic, the organization underwent major shifts in leadership over the past few months. As a result of the pandemic, the organization's Executive Director moved and was leading the project from hundred of miles away. During that time, the market opened and several top leadership within the organization also transitioned out to move out of state or take jobs that are based out of state or virtual. There was an issue with a general contractor, some cost factors andsupply chain issuesrelated tothe shared kitchen which caused for a delay in much of the work and a short fall of funding for completion. Our partner organizations have seen similar shifts in leadership and have caused some delays in solidifying those partnership commitments. As the interim executive director, I am working to realize the status of the shared kitchen and the farmer's market and strategize the most effective method to move forward to achieve the goals set. Working with our PI, staff and partners we are working to get the project on track. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Once the shared kitchen space is complete, there will be more opportunities to address each one of these goals and their corresponding objectives. We will continue to work on a strategy that implements these goals into the standard operating procedure for the shared kitchen and the corresponding farmers' market.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The Equity Goal has been a primary focus in this first year of implementation. We are rooted in a partnership with Black Soil, a business that works with black farmers in the region to get their produce and value-add items to the larger market and to the urban area. The CSA and our farmer's market called The Recipe within the Julietta Market has been pivotal to this acheivement. We are well over our set goalsfor this section. Grant support has allowed the pricing to remain affordable. Objective 2 has not been realized being that the shared kitchen is still several weeks from completion. The Infrastructure Capacity Building Goal has not yet been realized being that the shared kitchen is still several weeks from completion.We are currently in the process of completing the build out of the shared kitchen space after a change in internal leadership at NoLi CDC, decline in labor market, impact of COVID-19, and an increase in cost of buildingmaterials and equipment. The Infrastructure Access Goal has not yetbeen realized being that the shared kitchen and walk-in cooler and freezeris still several weeks from completion. We are in the process of completing the build out of the kitchen space after a change in internal leadership at NoLi CDC, decline in labor market, impact of COVID-19, and an increase in cost of buildingmaterials and equipment. The Food Access Goal is being achieved in partnership with Black Soil and their row of kiosks called The Recipe. The Recipe is open 7 days a week and provides locally grown healthy produce that is SNAP and Double Dollars eligible. The original partnership slated with Seedleaf is being revisited, as a change in their leadership in 2019/2020 has shifted their focus. We are in development of a partnership that would involve Seedleaf more substantially moving forward. We are also in the process of bringing more healthy food partners to the table to develop out a collaborative, sustainable plan. The Food Access Goal objective related to accessibility to those within walking distance is being achieved. Bags of produce are made available for those who are in the neighborhood of the market and, in partnership, when events are held at the market, partnership in kind includes free produce given to attendees.We are still searching for a way to track this effectively to make more clear the consumer connection to the neighborhood. As well, as working on the pay what you can option.

Publications