Oasis: A Non-profit Organization

As of 2020, over 6% of the US lives in food deserts, defined as low income areas where a

third or more of residents don’t have access to fresh, healthy food. While providing these

neighborhoods with supermarkets seems like an obvious solution, this superficial approach

barely grazes a deeper matter of systemic racism manifested in food inequality. Even when

comparing communities with similar poverty rates, predominantly black neighborhoods have

fewer supermarkets and poorer quality food demonstrating the considerable role of racial

composition alongside poverty in food deserts. I​n Baltimore City, over 120,000 black residents

live in food deserts, known as Healthy Food Priority Areas; nearly 40,000 children live in

HFPAs (Baltimore City Health Dept). Out of the 146,077 residents living in HFPAs, 85% of said

residents are black; 25.9% of the residents are children. Thus, it can be concluded that black

children in Baltimore city lack access to healthy food.

In reality, food access is tied to a plethora of issues such as policies and practices

perpetuating structural inequalities in income, education, nutritional knowledge and race. A

multi-faceted solution must be implemented to address such an intricate problem.

Oasis strives to create a world where children no longer lose access to food or

opportunities for success simply because of the color of their skin. As we work towards

eradicating food deserts in East Baltimore, our organization also looks to nurture children into

resilient individuals. Oasis will provide a community that trains and guides children towards

completed high school and college degrees, as well as full-time employment. Our organization

will seek to instill values essential to academic and professional flourishing. By engaging in a

culinary workplace, children will develop discipline, teamwork, communication skills,

interpersonal skills, and organization and management skills. This proposed non-profit

organization looks to provide relief and support to Baltimore City’s students struggling from lack

of access to community mentors and healthy food sources.

Beginning as a farm-table-restaurant, Oasis will finance a co-existing culinary program

through restaurant profits and fundraisers. Students will participate in an interactive education of

urban agriculture and business development through growing a produce garden to run their own

farmer’s market and supply the program’s farm-to-table restaurant. This farmer’s market will

serve the families of East Baltimore, providing healthy food at accessible prices and locations for

the community. Coursework will include instruction in health and nutrition, basic food prep and

kitchen skills. Furthermore, this culinary program will provide guided discussions in practical

life skills such as academic success strategies, business etiquette, mental health awareness,

self-care, and healthy relationships. College-level students are able to not only participate in this

program to receive basic culinary education, but practice it by working in the restaurant.

Further financial support will be sought in USDA’s Community Food Projects

Competitive Grant Program (CFPCGP), which offers funding towards the development of

community food projects planning long-term solutions and providing resources for low-income

people in response to local food and nutrition issues​. As mentioned above, x% of restaurant

profits will go towards financing the culinary program.

UEMPOWER of Maryland’s “The Food Project” poses direct competition for Oasis, as

this non-profit organization also aims to provide culinary skills, job opportunities, sustainable

food sources, and mentorship for South West Baltimore youth​. ​However, our organization will
be located in East Baltimore and will look to collaborate with UEMPOWER in expanding our

influence towards our common goal throughout Baltimore.

Work Cited

Baltimore City Health Department, and Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. “Mapping

the Food Environment.” ​Baltimore City Health Department,​ 5 Dec. 2018,

health.baltimorecity.gov/food-access/mapping-food-environment.

Baltimore City Public Schools. “Black Teacher Recruitment and Retention.” ​Black Teacher

Recruitment | Baltimore City Public Schools,​

www.baltimorecityschools.org/black-teacher-recruitment.

Weir, Kirsten. “Inequality at School.” ​Monitor on Psychology​, American Psychological

Association, Nov. 2016, www.apa.org/monitor/2016/11/cover-inequality-school.

Way, Niobe, and Judy Chu. ​Adolescent Boys: Exploring Diverse Cultures of Boyhood​. New

York University Press, 2004.

“2018 Single-Parent Households with Children as a Percentage of Households with Children

(5-Year Estimate) by County (Percent).” ​GeoFRED Map,​

geofred.stlouisfed.org/map/?th=ylgn.

“National Institute of Food and Agriculture.” ​Community Food Projects Competitive Grant

Program (CFPCGP) | National Institute of Food and Agriculture​,

nifa.usda.gov/program/community-food-projects-competitive-grant-program-cfpcgp.

UEmpowerofMD​, uempowerofmd.org/.
Byrne, Christine. “It's Great That We Talk About 'Food Deserts' - But It Might Be Time To

Stop.” ​HuffPost​, HuffPost, 4 July 2019,

www.huffpost.com/entry/food-desert-problem-access-healthy-options_n_5d1b910ee4b08

2e55370dee5?guccounter=1.

Brooks, Kelly. “Research Shows Food Deserts More Abundant in Minority Neighborhoods.” ​The

Hub ​, Johns Hopkins University, 10 Mar. 2014,

hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2014/spring/racial-food-deserts/.