The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team to Award $42,000 in Grants
Fort Scott, KS: Health is economic stability. The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Inc. (HBCAT) aims to increase access to wealth building opportunities to Bourbon County residents through our local and regional partnerships at the Action Team’s Centers for Economic Growth. Providing local businesses expertise and guidance, particularly in these very turbulent times, has shown to be a critical resource to increase the number of business start-ups and number of available quality jobs.
HBCAT will be awarding six grants totaling $42,000 on March 7th in their office at 104 N Nation Fort Scott, KS 66701 at 12 pm. The event will be broadcast live on Facebook and is also open for the public to attend in person and celebrate the grant awardees. With the support of the Patterson Family Foundation, the HBCAT will award a total of $145,000 to low-income, minority owned, women owned or food-based businesses over the next two years. Each grantee is a client of the Pittsburg State Small Business Development Center (PSU SBDC) at the Action Team’s Center for Economic Growth. There will be a total of four grant cycles in the next two years.
Please join us in congratulating following businesses:
Two farmer/rancher recipients ($10,000 each):
Freedom Farms
The Palmers are taking an innovative approach to sustainability by developing a farm co-op business model. They are able to help Bourbon County residents increase access to healthier food by allowing them to buy directly from the producer. It is important for them to educate their customers on where their food is coming from, they have opened their farm for visitors through agritourism. HBCAT is excited to share their vision of seeing a healthier Bourbon County.
1553 Plants and Produce
The Wunderlys are removing the barriers for their community to access healthier food by establishing a weekly delivery system. Through this process they create relationships with their customers and understand their target market. They now have a wholesale relationship with a local restaurant to incorporate their produce in their menu.
Restaurant/Food Retail Recipient ($7000):
Dry Wood Creek
Martin Elton is former president of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association. With this experience he is able to bring a unique perspective to his business model and the relationships with other restaurants. He is increasing access to healthy food by having a wholesale relationship with a local farmer and incorporating it in his menu.
3 Low-Income, Minority, or Women Owned Startup Businesses Recipients ($5,000 each):
Eighteen65
Bailey Lyons, along with her husband Nate, purchased the historic McDonald Hall building downtown with a plan to restore the building and create commercial and residential spaces that will be available for rent. There is a strong need in the community for quality rental spaces, and a high demand for these in the historic downtown area. Bailey is wanting to help meet this need. More businesses operating downtown, coupled with more people living or staying downtown, will generate increased spending in the area, more foot traffic, and overall increased vitality.
Made With Love: By Genna
Genna Gilbert is turning her creative hobby into a business. She sells tumblers, earrings, pens, signs, and she even does custom orders. She is wanting to work with other artists to hold craft workshops geared towards children. She is excited to create her own wealth and provide for her family.
Writers Edge
Kim Carpenter decided to take a step of faith and use her experience and education to create a proofreading business. Marketing and getting the message across clearly is essential to nearly every business. Kim is wanting to help businesses by providing her professional skills of copy editing and proofreading to help support the local economy.
The HBCAT Grant program is funded by the Patterson Family Foundation with the intention of increasing access to resources that will provide opportunity for economic stability, reduce poverty, and instill hope for upward mobility in employment. Each applicant is required to enroll with the PSU SBDC at the Center for Economic Growth and work with a local team to develop a sustainable business plan with financial projections.
Food retail/restaurant and farmer/rancher grants have an additional eligibility requirement to build and document wholesale relationships.
Some of the most common reasons for advancing programs that support local foods are that local food production:
- Provides incentives for entrepreneurship and innovation;
- Expands consumer choice and fresh food access;
- Improves negotiating power to local producers;
- Supports rural economic revitalization; and
- Protects the food system against severe shocks through decentralization of production.
According to Smart Growth America, in today’s world business growth is driven by collaboration among many types of entities, private, companies, universities, and others, that must interact frequently and work together creatively. HBCAT’s Center for Economic Growth is the epitome of this new model. The HBCAT’s Center for Economic Growth is a multi-partner collaboration of the HBCAT, Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, PSU Small Business Development Center (PSU SBDC), Southeast KANSASWORKS, Fort Scott Community College, and multiple local business owners.
PSU SBDC is available to businesses to provide the technical assistance needed for economic planning of rural businesses to obtain capital, develop marketing strategy, and more. Southeast KANSASWORKS is the Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) that serves 17 counties in Southeast Kansas, including Bourbon County. Southeast KANSASWORKS contributes to economic growth and business expansion by ensuring the workforce system is job-driven, matching employers with skilled individuals.
if you want to know how to become eligible, please contact Rachel Carpenter by emailing [email protected]
Find us on social media! On Facebook, Instagram and Twitter #healthybbco
Background of The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team:
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team is a Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways to Healthy Kansas Community. Its mission is to increase access to healthy food and physical activity, promote commercial tobacco cessation, enhance quality of life and encourage economic growth. The problems of health inequity and social injustice are complex in nature and inextricably linked to key economic indicators. A healthy workforce is a prerequisite for economic success in any industry and in all cities.
Contact information:
Jody Hoener, President and CEO
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Inc
620-215-5725
Rachel Carpenter, Program Coordinator
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Inc
620-215-2562
Mary Hunt, Interim Operations Director
Southeast KANSASWorks
Desk: 620-232-1222
Cell: 620-670-0006
Website: www.sekworks.org
Dacia Clark, Assistant Director, PSU SBDC
785-445-2537
Lindsay Madison, President and CEO
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce
(620) 223-3566
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