Grant aims to turn ‘food desert’ into community resource
Amanda Steen | Herald-Standard
Danielle Roberts, sales and marketing coordinator at the Republic Foods Enterprise Center, shows the areas on a map where the center will be distributing food. Republic Enterprise Center is pictured below.
The primary goal of the Republic Foods Enterprise Center is to address "food deserts" and also to stimulate the local economy and encourage entrepreneurship.
REDSTONE TWP. — An initiative to integrate locally resourced goods into areas designated as “food deserts” in southwestern Pennsylvania should be fully operational within the next year, affording impoverished communities the option of healthier food choices and putting to work dozens of people as early as next month.
Developed by the Fayette County Community Action Agency, with funding made available through first lady Michelle Obama’s healthy food initiative to end childhood obesity, the primary goal of the Republic Enterprise Center is to address food deserts and also to stimulate the local economy and encourage entrepreneurship.
“It’s amazing to have an outlet for fresh, wholesome food available to our community, something that wasn’t really available before,” said Danielle Roberts, a newly appointed sales and marketing coordinator at the center, located at the 52,000-square-foot former distribution center for the IGA grocery business on Legion Street.
Roberts, a recent graduate of St. Vincent College in Latrobe whose research in environmental science focused on local food, said she is excited to be part of a project she is passionate about.
The center plans to hire as many as 40 full-time employees after the holidays, with the bulk of the positions intended to be filled by low-income residents of Fayette County, she said.
Jobs created at the center will range from washing and packaging produce to catering and transportation.
A food desert is defined as a location where people encounter difficulties in obtaining healthy food, especially where those difficulties are tied to money or geography.
Food deserts are usually found in impoverished areas that lack grocery stores, such as Republic, leaving residents little choice but to rely on convenience stores and fast-food restaurants, and to purchase processed products high in fats and sugars known to contribute to the nation’s obesity epidemic, said Mark Swankler, who took over the evolving job of general manager for the center last year.
As specifically defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a food desert is an area where at least 500 people and/or at least 33 percent of the census tract’s population resides more one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store, making access to healthy food a near impossibility. For rural census tracts, that distance is more than 10 miles.
“Numerous studies have shown that people in food deserts do not have convenient access to healthier food and as a consequence consume more processed and packaged food products as oppose to fresh fruits and vegetables. So, as a result, food deserts tend to have higher rates of diabetes, obesity and other health issues,” said James Stark, chief executive officer of Fayette County Community Action Agency.
“I think our society has gotten away from our ecosystem,” said Roberts, making reference to the noticeable difference in taste in a homegrown tomato and one purchased from supermarkets that often ship the fruits unripened. “Just noticing that taste reminds us of where it comes from and connects us back to the soil,” she said.
Roberts said the center also will provide a place where the many local growers can market their produce. Through mid-February is a critical time for the center to be connecting with farmers, who are deciding what crops to grow for the upcoming season.
“We need to support farmers who are producing product locally,” Stark said. “Not only is it better for us from a health perspective, we are not transporting product thousands of miles or in some cases from other countries. So it is ‘greener’ and fresher. More and more consumers want to know the source of their food. Being close to the food supply allows you to better know the quality. Buying local food benefits consumers but also helps to sustain local jobs and the local economy.”
The primary goal of the operation is to bring in locally sourced produce to be washed, packaged and distributed to area restaurants and smaller grocery stores, and to cafeterias at area schools and prisons. The center also hopes to eventually open an indoor co-op where people can purchase fresh eggs and meats in addition to produce, Swankler said.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits will be accepted, he added.
The center also is set up for catering. At a recent annual luncheon of the Penn State Extension Office held at the center, about 60 people enjoyed locally sourced lamb, beef and potatoes, Roberts said. The dining area of the center can comfortably seat 80, she added.
The center also offers local entrepreneurs commercial space in which to prepare their products and also can offer assistance in the packing, labeling and marketing of the products, Roberts said.
The center opened its commercial kitchen to Michael Glagola of Carroll Township, who recently prepared and bottled 90 gallons of his Mr. Gz’s Slatherrring sauce, Swankler said.
The 12,000-square-foot kitchen offers the use of commercial equipment, including four rotisserie-style ovens where bakers can bake multiple products in one batch, a commercial-sized meat slicer, two different-sized mixers, a braising pan and gas ovens with multiple burners, as well as a variety of pots, pans and utensils.
Roberts said the center is currently developing a website. In the meantime, anyone interested in doing business with the center may call 724-246-1536, or email Roberts at droberts@fccaa .org.