CONTACT:
Jerusha Klemperer, FoodCorps
212-596-7045 x105
jerusha.klemperer@foodcorps.org
June 1, 2016, Portland, Oregon — Ecotrust announced today that national service organization and AmeriCorps partner, FoodCorps, will be moving its headquarters to the Redd on Salmon Street, a two-block campus under development to support food system reform in Portland’s Central Eastside. Ecotrust’s long-term commitment to farm to school, and its strategy of partnering with schools, hospitals and other institutions to catalyze regional food economies, makes FoodCorps an ideal fit at the Redd campus, and helps drive forward the mission of creating thriving and equitable regional food systems.
FoodCorps’ mission is to connect kids to healthy food in schools, thereby addressing epidemic problems related to childhood obesity and improper nutrition, and growing the next generation of food system and school garden educators. Providing nutrition education, farm to school and school garden programming in schools that are eligible for 50% or more free or reduced lunch, FoodCorps works to create opportunities for children—regardless of class, race, or geography—to grow up to lead healthier and more productive lives. This school year, FoodCorps served more than 600 schools and 160,000 students across the country through the service of 205 AmeriCorps members. With programs in 17 states and the District of Columbia, the organization’s core staff of 35 is housed in offices in Northwest Portland and New York, and will be moving their headquarters to the Redd campus. Co-founder and CEO Curt Ellis said of the planned move, “The Redd is the perfect home for FoodCorps—we are thrilled to partner with Ecotrust and join such a vibrant community of like-minded companies and organizations.”
Ecotrust has a long and committed history with farm to school, including conducting research published in a seminal paper known as “The Impact of Seven Cents,” which documented the economic development and job creation multipliers of local food sourcing by schools. On June 4th, Ecotrust will unveil a new farm to school impact dashboard called Farm to School Counts at the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. The dashboard was created in collaboration with regional partners in the Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network. This fall, during National Farm to School Month in October, Ecotrust and partners will host a public forum about the future of farm to school in Oregon on the evening of October 26th, 2016.
Officially launched in the fall of 2015, the Redd on Salmon Street is a two-city block campus being developed by Ecotrust as a working hub for new food economies. FoodCorps will occupy approximately 5,000 square feet in the west campus building, at the corner of SE Salmon and 7th Avenue. The historic former ironworks building next door at SE Salmon and 8th Avenue, is now in design phase and taking tenant inquiries.
Renovations of the entire west side of the campus are currently underway, including the build out of FoodCorps offices, the installation of 2000 square feet of freezers and cold storage, warehouse configuration, systems upgrading, and exterior architectural and landscaping design. Redd General Manager Sydney DeLuna commented, “The Redd is really coming alive—with first anchor tenant B-Line Sustainable Urban Delivery already operating, renovations underway, and now FoodCorps joining the community, we are starting to see the vision behind the project take hold.”
Phase 1 renovations to the Redd’s westside block will be complete by summer, and meanwhile DeLuna and team are looking to phase 2 of the project– the restoration of the historic ironworks building and grounds next door—while continuing to seek tenants for both buildings. Space available at competitive market rates includes: production kitchen space, unobstructed warehouse floor space with 24-foot ceilings, overhead crane, ample loading areas, and bay doors; and production and office space for food-related businesses ranging from 1,400 to 19,900 square feet. Groundbreaking for the eastside block is currently planned for Fall 2016.
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About the Redd on Salmon Street
The Redd on Salmon Street is a new Ecotrust development located in the heart of Portland’s historic industrial Central Eastside district, designed to support authentic local food-related enterprises in Portland, connect them to the rich producers in surrounding farmlands, and scale a robust regional food economy across the Pacific Northwest. Learn more at www.ecotrust.org/redd
About FoodCorp
FoodCorps is a nationwide team of AmeriCorps leaders who connect kids to real food and help them grow up healthy. Serving alongside educators and community leaders, FoodCorps members partner with schools to create a nourishing environment for all students. www.foodcorps.org
About Ecotrust
Ecotrust, a regional organization that has been leading restoration-based economic development since 1991, works to create more resilient communities, economies, and ecosystems here and around the world. Ecotrust’s many innovations include cofounding an environmental bank, starting the world’s first ecosystem investment fund, creating a range of programs in fisheries, forestry, food, farms and indigenous affairs, and developing new scientific and information tools to improve social, economic, and environmental decision making. Learn more at www.ecotrust.org or connect with @ecotrust.