08/19/2025
Last week, the last full service grocery store for miles surrounding 31st & Prospect closed its doors, plunging thousands of poor and Black folks further into an already existing food desert.
But rather than waiting on City Hall for a solution, The People have decided to fight back.
Today, The Defender, KC Black Urban Growers, the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Association, and every major Black farm in the KC metro, are uniting to launch the Hamer Free Food Program, a first-of-its-kind Black-led mutual aid program that distributes fresh produce from Black farms straight to Black families within a one mile radius of 31st and Prospect at ZERO COST.
WANT TO VOLUNTEER OR RECEIVE A FREE FOOD BOX? FILL OUT THIS 30 SECOND FORM: https://forms.gle/QwzkKBCWH211aW2T9
What is the Hamer Free Food Program?
Named in honor of Fannie Lou Hamer, often heralded for her Black liberation & civil rights activism, she is less known for her pioneering role in founding the Freedom Farm Cooperative in 1969.
The Hamer Free Food Program purchases produce directly from Black farms including: Young Family Farm KC, Global One Urban Farming, Sankara Farm, Ophelia’s Blue Vine Farm, and Pearl Family Farm, and the program is coordinated by KC Black Urban Growers, Ivanhoe, and The Defender.
In our September-October phase one rollout, we will deliver free boxes packed with nutrient-dense produce to 50 households within a mile of 31st and Prospect, prioritizing Black elders and neighbors facing mobility barriers after the Sun Fresh closure.
The Defender raised funds to purchase food directly from Black farmers at a fair rate for our phase 1 rollout. This enabled our program to schedule purchases of roughly 667 pounds of fresh produce for direct distribution, while injecting direct reliable cash-flow into Black growers’ income.
SEND THIS FORM TO SOMEONE WHO WOULD SIGN UP FOR A FREE FOOD BOX, MUST LIVE IN 1 MILE RADIUS OF 31ST & PROSPECT
Fill out this 30-sec form: https://forms.gle/QwzkKBCWH211aW2T9
