This week, supporters of LifeCity and its Regional Sustainability Committee, of the Love Your City Awards Gala donated 100 Recirculating Farms’ Growing Local garden bags to elder musicians and medically vulnerable culture bearers in the Makin’ Groceries program of the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic. The donation is part of an ongoing effort by Recirculating Farms, to increasing equity in local, healthy food production and distribution.

Every year, LifeCity and the Regional Sustainability Committee hosts a new edition of the Love Your City Awards Gala. At the event, New Orleans’ business and community leaders participate in a fun and glamorous academy awards-like evening honoring “winners” in community service categories like “water management” and “food” and enjoying good food and live entertainment. Over the last eight years, over 122 awards have been presented for environmental and social impact achievements and to recognize and lift up change-makers to take on the next steps in their sustainability missions. The 2020 year was unlike any other, so Awards Ceremony was just as unique. This year, the Love Your City Awards platform supported local musicians, artists, restaurants, and families. It was the same amazing event, with the added benefit of supporting our local community. One of the outcomes of the event was raising funds to donate 500 bags of fresh local food, coordinated by Recirculating Farms. The Musician’s Clinic is the first of these deliveries.

A collaboration between the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic, the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Insitute (NOCHI) and the music venue The Howlin’ Wolf, Makin’ Groceries began in March 2020 at the beginning of the music economy shut down. Initially it was an initiative to provide free take-out meals to musicians 3 days a week. It has grown to include a weekly grocery and meal delivery program for elder and medically-compromised New Orleans musicians along with weekly check-ins by a community nurse, vaccine access, a dedicated newsletter, and lagniappe such as kitchen items, recipes, and games.

Recirculating Farms sells a low cost, locally sourced garden grocery bag for weekly delivery through Top Box Foods Louisiana, to increase availability of affordable, accessible fresh food in the community. The bag is also part of Market Match, a program through Market Umbrella, which means for people who use SNAP and EBT, the cost is half price.

The groups issued a joint press release – read more here!