Our Mission
Our mission is to cultivate food justice in Northeast Ohio and beyond by building enduring local food systems from the ground up. We use the power of food and collaboration to transform under-resourced neighborhoods into thriving, self-sustaining communities.
In all of our work, we make sure to engage the community. We work with, not for, communities, with the mindset that sustainability is ensured when the community has a sense of ownership over our work. We also form strategic partnerships with groups and individuals from the public, business and nonprofit sectors.
It takes a village, and by working together, we are able to conserve resources while bringing in the services and expertise of a variety of like-minded stakeholders.
Food Strong is dedicated to using fresh foods as a tool to educate, empower, and cultivate health throughout Northeast Ohio. We offer a variety of programs including the School Gardens, Care-A-Van, community culinary education, Mobile Farm Stand, and our Vacant Lot Restoration Initiative which is now focused on our new Superior Farm Fixup, all designed to engage local neighborhoods through collaborative food and health-conscious education initiatives.
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"Being able to work with Food Strong mural project has been one of the best things I’ve been able to be involved in. I loved being a part of a positive force in the community." - Carson Bassett, Muralist
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the food strong team
Sara Continenza
Founder and Executive Director
Aja Joi Grant
Educator
Katie Signorelli
Office Associate
Heather McCormick
Community Outreach/Marketing Manager
Jeff Thaler
Farm Manager
Fatima Muntaser
Junior Office Associate
Nicole Salerno
President
Joseph Jerdonek
Vice President
Sam Weir
Secretary
