Food Hub Planning Project
This grant will enable Grow Jackson to complete a plan and strategy for developing a regional food hub in Jackson County to strengthen the local food economy and fill a critical infrastructure gap in South Central Michigan. The planned food hub will include a year-round farm stop (a locally sourced, consignment-based grocery store), kitchen space for light processing and packaging of wholesale products, community space for events and educational programming, and on-site space for the Jackson farmer’s market. The hub will support farmers, food producers, and consumers in Jackson County by creating new markets, reducing barriers to food access, and fostering economic opportunities, and will strengthen the statewide food system by linking with food hubs in Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Detroit, and Grand Rapids.