Roots For The Reefer: Fundraiser for a Refrigerated Van
Every other week Tall Grass Box pulls together fresh produce from Black Farmers across NC and put it together in a box for you to pick up. As Tall Grass Food Box continues to expand its operations based on the needs of the community they need a “reefer vehicle,” short for refrigerated vehicle. The average price for a reefer vehicle they desire, a Ford Transit Connect XL, is $34,000. We’ve reached our fundraising goal of a $5,000 down payment. Now we’re striving towards a stretch goal of $15,000 to give a substantial head start in paying off the vehicle.
Tall Grass Food Box, a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) platform to support and encourage the sustainability of Black Farmers, by increasing their visibility and securing space for them in the local marketplace. In a time where small businesses have become even more vulnerable, it is important that they double down in our support of Black farmers. In this vein, they seek to build a capacity for self-determination within our local food systems.
In early March, before coronavirus fully unleashed on North Carolina, Gabrielle E. W. Carter ran into the owner of a friend that’s family owned a local restaurant at the grocery store. They chatted about the effects of the virus and what that could mean for the restaurant industry. At this point, Carter was moved to do something.
She and Derrick Beasley started thinking about how local black-owned food businesses would weather the storm. Wanting to help, they initially envisioned an email newsletter to raise awareness, then decided the situation demanded a bigger response. The conversation went from the restaurants to the supply chain, the steps taken to deliver food from the farmer to the consumer.
At that point, Gabrielle, Derrick, and with the addition of Gerald Harris, began surveying Black Farmers in the area, assessing their needs. Their biggest need was access to a marketplace. And that is when the idea of starting a CSA became a movement. Soon they had amassed a list of around a dozen farms that wanted to participate, eager for a direct line to more consumers as the farmers markets and restaurants where they’d normally sell their products shuttered.
Every other week they pull together fresh produce, at retail value per unit, from Black Farmers across NC and curate a box for people to purchase. Each box has enough produce to feed 1-2 people or an individual who cooks more than 3 or more times a week.
Their goals are to…
•Expand the narrative around black food sovereignty and self-determining food economies.
As they continue to expand their operations of Tall Grass Food Box, based on the needs of the community, there are some items that they need to purchase to make those next steps. One of the biggest needs is a reefer vehicle.
A “reefer”, short for refrigerated, fulfills the need of safely hauling sensitive goods and gives them full control of their transportation needs regarding timing, schedule flexibility, temperature control, and care of the goods. It gives them an opportunity to expand their services to delivery options. Its also gives them another vessel to serve the supply chain sector for Black Farmers.
The average price for the size refeer vehicle they desire (Ford Transit Connect XL) is $34,000. A fundraising goal of $5,000 gives them an opportunity to place a down payment. A ceiling goal of $15,000 would give a substantial head start in paying off the vehicle.
Keep up the good work y’all!
What a thrill to see so much community support for your van! Congratulations 😎
I am happy to see the community support for the Reefer. Very exciting!
It’s very exciting what you all are doing!