Waco is 1 of 10 U.S. Communities That Is Receiving More Than $2.5 Million in Grants for Community-led Sustainability Projects As A Part of The Newest Round of Partners for Places Matching Grants

WACO, Texas - July 31, 2023 - PRLog -- A new collective, S.C.R.A.P. (Sustainable Community and Regenerative Agriculture Project), has received a $150,000 grant from The Funders Network and a matching grant from the the Cooper Foundation. S.C.R.A.P. is growing a healthy, equitable food system in Waco to address issues of food waste, food insecurity, and climate resilience. The collective is co-creating an ecosystem of urban gardens, farms, and educational programs to nurture community health, reduce landfill emissions, practice racial equity, and empower food sovereignty among Waco's diverse populations.

Nearly 40% of the food in this country goes to waste and 25% of Waco's landfill is food waste. There it rots to release large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO2, adding to the 97,000 tons of C02 the landfill emits annually. Even before reaching landfills, wasted food has required significant emissions to produce, process, package, transport, store, handle, and cook—in fact, if wasted food were a country, it would be third in greenhouse gas emissions, behind only China and the U.S.

In addition, McLennan County significantly exceeds national and state averages in its rates of poverty (29.8% vs. 13.3% for Texas) and food insecurity (15.4% vs. 11.8% for the nation), as excess healthcare costs associated with food insecurity rise to $53,594,330. Many of the neighborhoods in McLennan County, which are primarily comprised of people of color, have limited access to healthy food outlets and are in the most vulnerable categories for food-driven health threats as well as risks from flooding and weather events driven by climate change.

Partners of the S.C.R.A.P. Collective include- Mission Waco's Urban REAP program, the City of Waco, the World Hunger Relief Institute, Global Revive, Da'Shack Farmers Market Health and Wellness, Inc., Family of Faith Worship Center, Baylor University programs such as the Environmental Humanities Minor and the Growing Leaders and Learners Project, the Cooper Foundation, and several Waco ISD schools. Over the last year, S.C.R.A.P. has built these partnerships and engaged over 700 community members with a planning grant from The Funders Network.

What if all the food scraps swelling our landfill were instead turned into compost to enrich the soil of urban gardens and farms? This effort alone would reduce and capture greenhouse emissions while producing nutritious food, especially among communities of color struggling with food access and diet-related diseases. Controlling the food grown also allows communities to make decisions about our meals and health that are often denied. Healthier soils and gardens grow healthier communities. Therefore, S.C.R.A.P. is working to multiply and diversify our partnerships with organizations, schools, congregations, and businesses; expand sites and infrastructure for composting and gardening in the city; and increase educational events and community engagement.

For more information on the S.C.R.A.P. Collective, visit https://missionwaco.org/urban-reap/.