Nestlé and Rid All Team Up to Support Access to Food, Opportunities for Next Gen and Local Farmers in Cleveland

Nestlé is teaming up with Rid-All Green Partnership, an urban farm located in Cleveland's Lower Kinsman neighborhood, to help increase access to food, support urban farming, and help unlock career and opportunity pathways for local farmers and youth in under-resourced neighborhoods throughout Cleveland.

Nestlé is committed to helping support thriving, resilient communities today and for generations to come. Through a combination of financial support and employee volunteer efforts, the collaboration with Rid-All will connect Nestlé employees with community members and focus on implementing urban farming initiatives to plant and grow fresh produce. It will also help create opportunities for local farmers, youth and veterans in the Cleveland area to learn and grow their skills by participating in urban agriculture trainings and environmental programs.

"Connecting our employees with opportunities to make a positive impact and support organizations that are serving the communities where we live and work is a part of who we are at Nestlé," said Nikki Odom, Senior Director of DE&I and Community Affairs at Nestlé. "We have nearly 2,000 employees who work at our Solon campus, and we're excited to leverage their passion and energy alongside the team at Rid-All to help increase access to fresh food in the community and engage with youth and local farmers who are interested in learning about growing food."

A key aspect of the work together will include the restoration of Rid-All's largest hoop house-a covered growing space that protects plants from rain, wind and cold temperatures-which is currently inactive and in need of significant repairs. Over the next several months, Nestlé employee volunteers will work to transform the hoop house into a fully functional 42-bed growing space called the Nestlé Neighborhood Community Farm. It will be used to grow foods such as leafy greens and fruits throughout the year and to teach youth about food, including where it comes from and how it grows, and the importance of having fresh food options in the community.

The project kicked off earlier this week with Nestlé employees, community members and students onsite at Rid-All volunteering their time to begin work on the restoration project. Volunteers participated in activities such as removing excess overgrowth and debris and revitalizing the space surrounding the hoop house. Throughout the year, small groups of employee volunteers from Nestlé will volunteer monthly alongside the community to continue work on the hoop house and bring the neighborhood farm to life.

"Having a brand like Nestlé invest in redeveloping not only a space for the community to enjoy, but also in bringing corporate and community together for greater impact is truly commendable," said Timothy Lewis, Outreach Director and Founding Partner, Rid-All Green Partnership. "We're excited to have Nestlé be a part of this project here at Rid-All Partnership."

Upon completion of the hoop house restoration, Nestlé and Rid-All are exploring the possibility of additional initiatives together such as composting programs and skills-based volunteer projects to help early-stage farmers and food entrepreneurs with the expertise and consulting they need to grow and thrive.

For more information about Nestlé's work to help support thriving, resilient communities, visit www.nestleusa.com/communities.