Apple Core Project Inc

The Apple Core Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to fight food insecurity in Kern County. The organization provides hands-on education classes about nutrition at its Grace Street Garden and distributes food to the community with the help of partner organizations like the Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK) and Bakersfield Recovery Services (BRS). Our goal is to feed, educate and connect people to make a more equitable community for all. The Grace Street Garden is located in East Bakersfield next to transitional homes for men and women, run by BRS and strategically located to help improve the infrastructure and quality of life in those disadvantaged neighborhoods

The Apple Core Project needs your help turning an old structure located in their garden into a multi-use Community Hub to help make their garden more accessible to the public, increase food distribution events and expand its educational classes for the community. To do so, The Apple Core Project team has phased out a plan to complete the project by 2024.The Community Hub would provide the Apple Core Project with a space in their garden to distribute and store food and to offer a safe environment for families struggling with food insecurity. A safe, structurally sound multi-use space in the garden will provide the opportunity to help feed the most underserved on a more regular basis. Currently, due to a lack of refrigeration and storage limitations, The Apple Core Project can not store perishable and/or leftover food that they otherwise could get to community members unable to make it to the food distributions (i.e., people with disabilities/families who work during the time of distribution). The Community Hub will also serve as an indoor space to host educational events regardless of harsh weather conditions, increasing the organization's capacity to make a positive impact in wellness, nutrition, and overall health education and resources for the community.

We have broken the project into 3 phases to ensure completion. Rehabilitate the structure to ensure it’s safe and usable for the community.Add a permanent small bathroom and dishwashing sink, add garden pathways to the structure for wheelchair accessibility and safety.Secure refrigeration units to store food, shelving and storage items to complete the inside of the Community Hub. These phases can be fundraised for or written into grants.

Since our garden and food distribution has originated in 2020 due to the Global Pandemic, we have grown and distributed 1000's of pounds of farm fresh produce, 10's of thousands of pounds of food bank supplied food, along with additional resources from partnering community benefits during these distributions. Roughly 6000 people a year drive through our monthly food give aways and many underserved community groups have had access to our Urban farm/ community garden.