The Gainesville Housing Authority partnered with Grassroots Kitchen on Saturday to provide a free farm-to-table dinner and Thanksgiving turkey giveaway in east Gainesville, bringing residents together while addressing food insecurity and promoting access to nutrition.
The Eat Like It Matters event featured locally grown vegetables, fresh meals and live music. The gathering was part of a continuous nutritional awareness program aimed at supplying healthier food options to families in underserved communities.
The event also held an annual turkey giveaway, allowing residents the chance to receive a Thanksgiving turkey prior to the holiday.
Chef Carl Watts, founder of Grassroots Kitchen, said the initiative involves more than providing free meals. It encourages residents from different backgrounds to come together and recognize the importance of healthy eating.
"It's not about politics here. It's not about who you voted for. It's not about any of that," Watts said. "It's about just coming together, eating healthy."
Grassroots Kitchen, east Gainesville's first community kitchen, works to combat food insecurity through farm-to-table outreach and nutritional education. The organization partners with the Gainesville Housing Authority to provide community dinners featuring locally grown ingredients and homemade dishes.
Watts said the partnership is entering its fourth year and initially focused on nutrition awareness and cooking classes for children and families.
Since then, the partnership has been able to provide fresh vegetables and community meals in response to growing concerns about food affordability and accessibility.
Watts also emphasized the importance of knowing where food comes from, explaining that the beef served at the event was raised by the organization, and the vegetables were grown locally.
Gainesville Housing Authority CEO Pamela Davis said rising grocery prices have made access to nutritious food even more of a challenge.
"When we're going to the supermarket right now, food is very expensive, and we want to provide an opportunity to make sure we introduce wholesome foods to our resident, our community," Davis said.
Davis said the partnership with Watts has also created educational opportunities for the youth, including teaching them how to prepare nutritious meals on a budget.
Approximately 25 participants from the housing authority's youth programs helped prepare for the event, assisting with setup and serving residents while developing leadership and community service skills, according to Davis.
The initiative also supports broader redevelopment efforts in east Gainesville through the Choice Neighborhoods program, a collaboration involving the Gainesville Housing Authority, the city of Gainesville and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Cornelius Dunmore, an event organizer, said the program has upgraded from its early planning phase into implementation, connecting community projects with actions to improve neighborhood resources.
Gainesville was recently awarded a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that will aid in redevelopment and community programs over an eight-year period.
The Elite Service Plaza, where Saturday’s event was held, demonstrates the program's emphasis on being ELITE: empowerment, life skills, innovation, training and entrepreneurship.
For volunteer Crystal Williams, who helped distribute boxes of locally grown vegetables, the event represented an opportunity to draw attention and resources to an area she believes is frequently overlooked.
Williams said the vegetables distributed to residents came from a Black family-owned farm operated by Watts, providing families with access to fresh produce they might otherwise struggle to afford.
She also expressed frustration with negative perceptions of east Gainesville, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the neighborhood's strengths rather than focusing only on its challenges.
As the Gainesville Housing Authority and Grassroots Kitchen continue their partnership, organizers hope to expand access to nutritious meals while bolstering community relationships and turning out opportunities for residents.
"Not just the making of the food, but seeing us come together," Watts said. "Different demographics. We have different social income sources."