Grant for Appetite for Change
Film by Passenger Productions
The community-led, community-based Appetite for Change (AFC) is on a mission to build health, wealth and social change in North Minneapolis, using food as its tool. Born out of listening sessions with African-American youth and adults, AFC seeks to develop the area — named one of the largest food deserts in the country — into a thriving, culturally-based, community-driven food center.
AFC motivates individuals to build racial, economic and health equity through a pioneering combination of community cooking workshops, job training programs for youth, a cooperative commercial kitchen and business incubator for more than 50 food entrepreneurs, and a restaurant that serves healthy, global food and provides jobs and a neighborhood gathering space. AFC also aggregates affordable produce grown by youth interns and sells it to area stores and restaurants.
AFC’s advocacy has led to policy changes to expand the geography for food trucks, relax market garden restrictions, expand lease terms for urban farms and enforce government benefit standards to include fresh fruits and vegetables in local stores. As a result of its ambitious vision and leadership, AFC serves as a model for communities around the country that are eager to address food justice.
