malachi pursley

plank road food hub

The Plank Road Food Hub is more than simply a place where local residents can access healthy food but will be the catalyst in the revitalization of North Baton Rouge. Louisiana has the highest rate of childhood obesity cases which translates into a plethora of health concerns as these children grow into adulthood. The people most at risk unfortunately are minorities and/or low income civilians. For East Baton Rouge, North Baton Rouge has become the epicenter of this population due to disinvestment and white flight. The Plank Road Food Hub mitigates these systematic prejudices by offering local residents access to fresh produce and entrepreneurial opportunities to elevate the existing culturally rich community that exist along the Plank Road corridor. The Plank Road Food Hub will have rentable food stall spaces to allow for up and coming restaurateurs to test their recipes and menus to a wide audience without the expenses that accompany having a store front. Teaching kitchens will cater to local high school students to teach them vocational skills that can lead to a career in cooking and foster healthy relationships amongst high schoolers and volunteers. Plank Road Food Hub will offer tutor spaces for the large demographic of students in the area to increase school productivity and have internet access, which has become vital in the age of online learning. In alignment with ongoing development efforts by Imagine Plank Road, the Plank Road Food Hub will have creative studios that young artists can rent to explore their talents in a healthy well equipped space. The Plank Road Food Hub will not only be the space where residents get their healthy produce. It will become a spark in the flame to revitalize a community that has long been forgotten but holds much equity in the future of Baton Rouge.