Ashland and cherryland are census-designated places nestled between the cities of hayward and SAN leandro in unincorporated alameda county.ashland and cherryland are diverse, with approximately half…

The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $706,008 under the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program to Mandela Partners for the Ashland Community Kitchen Initiative in Oakland, California. The initiative will transform a 623 square foot space into a culturally relevant commercial kitchen to increase access to sustainably grown produce and production capacity for limited-resource food entrepreneurs. Specifically, Mandela Marketplace will source produce through their Black, Indigenous and People of Color farmer network and provide a Community Supported Agriculture program. The kitchen will offer test kitchen and training opportunities for emerging food businesses and host nutrition education and community activities. The Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program aims to strengthen local food systems through collaboration between diverse stakeholders and understanding of national food security trends.

Ashland and cherryland are census-designated places nestled between the cities of hayward and SAN leandro in unincorporated alameda county.ashland and cherryland are diverse, with approximately half of the population that are hispanic/latinx (45.4% in ashland, 55.0% in cherryland), followed by asian (24.3% in ashland, 10.4% in cherryland) and black or african american (14.2% in ashland, 12.9% in cherryland).despite the ashland and cherryland community's strong propensity for partnership and organizing, 19.3% of ashland and 18.3% of cherryland are living at or below the federal poverty level.ashland has only three cafe establishments located near the periphery of the area and no major grocery stores located in the district. Farmers' markets and community supported agriculture programs (CSA) locations serving the ashland and cherryland community are limited; however, are available in more affluent areas of unincorporated county, like castro valley. The ashland community kitchen initiative will go beyond the notion of "if we build IT, they will come" by partnering with resident entrepreneurs and community members to transform a 623 SQ/FT space adjacent to the ashland market & cafe vendors into a culturally relevant kitchen space. Specifically, the ashland community kitchen will: source sustainably grown produce through mandela's black, indigenous and people of color (bipoc) farmer network; create access to affordable and sustainably grown produce through mandela's CSA program; provide increased production capacity for limited-resource community food entrepreneurs; allow for test kitchen and hands-on training opportunities for burgeoning food entrepreneurs; and provide much needed dedicated space for nutrition education and community building.