Cranston Group Gets $520K Grant To Support Local Food System

CRANSTON, RI — The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has awarded over $1 million in grants to four local food businesses and organizations, including one in Cranston.

DEM officials said recipients of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) grants "support the development of Rhode Island products and will support expanded capacity for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally produced food products, including specialty crops, dairy, grains for consumption, aquaculture, and other food products, excluding meat and poultry." The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"I'm glad the state is distributing these federal RFSI funds that were made available under the Biden Administration to local projects that will strengthen the resilience in Rhode Island’s food system and create new revenue streams for small and mid-sized farmers and producers," U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) said. "This federal investment will benefit food producers statewide and help get more fresh, Rhode Island-grown food and products to tables, grocery stores, and restaurants across the region and beyond."

Cranston's recipient was the Southside Community Land Trust, which secured a grant of $519,939. The land trust will use the money to develop the Cranston Food Hub, a new facility at Urban Edge Farm that will streamline and expand its capacity to aggregate, process, store, and distribute locally sourced produce grown by small-scale farms operated by historically underserved producers in the Providence metro area.

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