Rainier Beach Action Coalition Food Innovation District one of 26 award in country

 Seattle – Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC) is very excited to announce that it is a proud recipient of The Kresge Foundation’s Fresh, Local and Equitable (FreshLo) initiative. RBAC was chosen among 26 out of a competitive panel of 528 applications nation-wide, one of only 3 West of Albuquerque, NM, and the unique grantee in the North West!!!

The full list of grantees can be found here: http://kresge.org/news/freshlo-award-announcement-kresge

This grant will allow RBAC to move forward with the neighborhood vision for a Food Innovation District in Rainier Beach. The latest Climate Justice report by Got Green! and Puget Sound Sage (Our People, Our Planet, Our Power) highlighted the Food Innovation District as a recommendation to build local economies. It was identified by the Rainier Valley Communities of Opportunity as a site-wide project to support. And the Mayor of Seattle recently recognized the Food Innovation District as a critical anti-displacement strategy.

Ultimately, the grant will be used to develop an innovation center and build out a viable business plan rooted in  the work done by both partners, past and present, but more importantly, the communities of the Rainier Beach neighborhood! The center would host culinary and business skills training, and opportunities to incubate and grow businesses.  It would enhance the farm-to-table industry by supporting food entrepreneurs, caterers and mobile food vendors to centralize and foster collaboration between these businesses.

In a fast growing city, Rainier Beach has the potential and the opportunity to provide an alternative to a tech industry while providing the services essential to its thriving economy and orienting Seattle as an international culinary destination, “Made in Rainier Beach”!

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About Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC)

RBAC is a grass roots neighborhood development action coalition devoted to implementing neighborhood responsiveness, renewal and development, focusing specifically on the implementation of the Rainier Beach Neighborhood Plan Update. RBAC seeks to build a connected, sustainable and equitable neighborhood, promoting the “made in Rainier Beach” concept, quality education, living wage jobs, affordable transportation and housing for all. RBAC promotes a safe place where people thrive in a neighborhood the world calls home and builds neighborhood capacity to enhance quality of life in Rainier Beach by addressing critical issues threatening the welfare of Rainier Beach residents.

 

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