Stronger Together: Partner Panel & Paletas Recap

Around here, we talk often about treating hunger as just one symptom of poverty. Almost always, the individuals and families who are facing barriers to food access also experience an array of other barriers. Our vision for a more just, sustainable food system relies on the critical work of many to disrupt poverty’s diverse symptoms, which is why our partnership model is essential to the work we do.

Earlier this summer, we were proud to host a panel of partners to discuss just this. Organically, it turned into a session where we dreamt together about new, deeper ways to uplift each other, with the shared understanding that we all have a greater opportunity to thrive when we are in community with one another.

When we work interdependently and freely share the resources entrusted to us, we tap into a version of community that no longer sees people as problems to solve. Instead, we move toward a system that resources individuals and families to thrive in their own way, in their own right, with their own power. This version of community affirms the dignity of every one of its members and builds a new sense of reliance on the gifts each of us have to offer.

We left the panel with a renewed sense of hope for the future of communities that have traditionally been marginalized and under-resourced. So much vibrant work is happening right here in Nashville, and the collective work that is possible through our city-wide network of partners moves us closer to a just and sustainable world.

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Panel Participants

The Branch of Nashville

The Branch strives to build a community where everyone can thrive by nourishing, educating, and equipping our neighbors. In response to the needs present in the South Nashville community, The Branch has focused their programming efforts on a food pantry as well as an English Language Learning program for adults.

Older Adult Care and Community Engagement Director Sarai Tovar joined our panel to share her perspective about community power through The Branch’s unique lens. She’s been with the organization since 2017 when she became part of their volunteer force. She is passionate about cooking, serving others, and parenting her two young children.

Preston Taylor Ministries

Preston Taylor Ministries empowers children and youth to discover and live their God-inspired dreams, develop a love for learning, and build joy-filled friendships that glorify Christ Jesus. Their areas of impact for youth are diverse, and their after-school programming spans seven sites across Nashville and enriches students socially, spiritually and academically.

Executive Director Dwight Johnson has a passion for working with teenagers, specifically middle schoolers, and enjoys seeing youth reach their potential. He is the author of Black Boy Soar, a children’s book written to help inspire and encourage young people of color to dream big, know who they are and what they are capable of.

Nashville International Center for Empowerment

The Nashville International Center for Empowerment works to ensure that refugees and immigrants achieve their full potential now and for generations to come. Their goal is to empower folks with resources and opportunities that will aid them in their resettlement and equip them to be successful in the future. Their partnership model, commitment to advocacy, community-building and sustainable service programs make their programming come to life.

Director of Education Brandon White oversees programming designed to support immigrants and refugees integrating into American society. His background is education, and he has worked as a teacher across private, public and non-profit sectors.

Community Care Fellowship

Community Care Fellowship, affectionately known as Ken and Carol’s, has a mission to serve Christ by offering hope, love and resources to our neighbors experiencing housing insecurity. They meet guests’ immediate needs, and then work to stabilize them before helping them secure permanent housing.

Executive Director Ryan LaSuer is constantly turning towards servant leadership. This commitment has helped him over the course of 15 years serving nonprofit organizations, and a strong foundation in marketing, grassroots promotion, client engagement and stakeholder relations gave him a unique perspective during our panel.

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With Treats from Cosecha Community Development

Thank you so much to Cosecha Community Development for providing the paletas that we shared with our guests!

As part of their youth mentorship program, they have pioneered a before-school program for middle schoolers to grow their social enterprise, Cosecha Paletas. Through this program, students are able to learn entrepreneurship and kitchen skills.

When Life Hands You Lemons

Sometimes on a sweltering July day, you can only beat the heat one way: with a cold glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade, made by the hands of neighborhood kids. For generations, the lemonade stand has been a quintessential summer activity. And this year, we were honored to help our longtime partner, Preston Taylor Ministries, with theirs.

Preston Taylor enrichment camp directors Alyssa Muller and Toni Cobbins first came up with the idea to host a lemonade stand when they were brainstorming about summer programming together last spring. “We both loved the idea of giving the students ownership of something as a way to raise money, like a business,” explained Alyssa. “A lemonade stand seemed like a tangible way that we could do this.” It was a win-win: students could feel pride in getting to share their own hard work with neighbors, and proceeds would support an end-of-summer celebration for PTM students at St. Luke’s Community House and the Wilson Center.

Often, the best part of a lemonade stand is concocting your masterpiece — and that’s where the Nashville Food Project got to participate. A few days before the event, Chef Bianca and her team brought over boxes of donated lemons to Preston Taylor sites. But instead of simply donating fruit, both organizations saw the opportunity to deepen our partnership. “A big part of community is building relationships,” explained Chef Bianca. “An intentional part of the success of our meals is to connect with our partners.” 

It was in that spirit that Preston Taylor Ministries invited our meals team to teach their students about making lemonade. It was the first time most of our staff had spent with PTM students, but it’s hard not to instantly connect over squeezing lemons, scooping sugar and shaking the mixture to make the delicious drink (of course, taste-tested immediately).

The relationship between The Nashville Food Project and Preston Taylor Ministries has always been one of interdependence. Over the summer, Preston Taylor Ministries supports about 220 elementary and middle school students with day programming focused on experiential learning, academic enrichment, wellness and community. Between their sites at Wilson Center and St. Luke’s Community House, we share nearly 400 meals each week during the summer months. But we rarely get a chance to work together in real time, side-by-side. “It was fun to get outside of our own kitchens and see the enthusiasm of the kids in the Preston Taylor Ministries sites,” said Chef Bianca.

After two afternoons of prep, we were ready to open for business! Homemade signs adorned the building at PTM’s Wilson Center and excitement buzzed in the air as 2 p.m. approached and a preliminary line began forming at the tent. As customers arrived with their $3 in tow, students worked together to pour the lemonade, garnish it with a variety of fruits and herbs, and top it off with a bendy straw.

“Seeing the joy and pride in their faces during prep at each site and at the actual lemonade stand was priceless and knowing they worked hard in providing this was just the sweetness we needed to bring their lemonade to life.”

— Chef Bianca

The best part of the afternoon was the community that gathered. Friends, families, neighbors and strangers gathered on the lawn of the Wilson Center to cool off and catch up. Students squealed when they saw their friends in line, and there were frequent pauses in the lemonade assembly line for hugs. Being there to see it all reminded us how community is central to our work: it nourishes the spirit like food nourishes the body.

It’s like the old saying goes: When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Preston Taylor Ministries took it one step further to take lemonade and make a community.

Calling All Architects: Design Competition!

The way we see it, a garden is more than just a place to grow tomatoes and cucumbers — it’s also a space that supports community vitality. At the Community Farm at Mill Ridge, a growing number of gardeners come together to host educational workshops, connect with neighbors over potlucks and dream about the future of growing food in our city. And while we have plenty of rows to plant seedlings, our work to expand community in our city is sometimes limited by the physical space we can offer to garden participants. With the availability of an operational on-site pavilion, local families and gardeners will have deeper opportunities to learn, grow and connect right in their own neighborhood.

The Nashville Food Project, in partnership with Hodgson Douglas Landscape Architects, is excited to announce a design competition for a pavilion and wash-pack station at the Community Farm at Mill Ridge. Use your creativity to help us improve the Community Farm!

First-place and second-place winners will be awarded cash prizes. Submit your conceptual design by September 30 to enter.

View the competition guidelines and design specifications here.