Originally Published in Bridge Detroit,
The making of the Detroit Food Commons – a real estate development complex which will house a full-service, community-owned grocery store to increase resident access to fresh food – is a story of vision and collective action.
The Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN), Develop Detroit Inc, co-op members and residents came together to celebrate the beginning of construction on the Detroit Food Commons in April.
More than a decade in the making, the Detroit Food Commons will be located on the corner of Woodward Avenue near East Grand Boulevard in Detroit’s historic North End neighborhood.
The establishment of the Detroit Food Commons is something to celebrate and represents a recognition of community effort, the value of local land ownership and development, the importance of cooperative economics, healthy food access, and support for local Black leadership.
It is also the story of Black professionals working in philanthropy, representing different missions, but coming together to utilize our important network. We wanted to support the work of an organization focused on advancing food sovereignty in a community where this model is desperately needed.
Detroit has many bright spots, but food sovereignty and access to healthy, fresh, affordable, local food has long been a challenge for Detroiters. DBCFSN and their D-Town farm has been a key player in ensuring that Detroiters have access to healthy food, and that Black Detroiters, in particular, have access to land, seeds and all of the provisions needed to feed themselves and their families with dignity and self-sufficiency.
Philanthropy, which provided the final push after years of community support, effort and foundational work was completed, can play a vital role in supporting a community’s vision and needs.The Detroit Food Commons project, and the type of collaboration it fostered, should be the norm for future projects.
