ECDC Teaching Pantry and Community Garden
Project focus area
We are working to reduce food insecurity in northeast Wichita by launching a Teaching Pantry and Community Garden model that combines nutrition access, hands-on education, and community empowerment. This project targets the root causes of hunger—poverty, lack of food literacy, and limited access to fresh produce—while offering families dignity-centered, culturally relevant support.
Plan for action
Launching the Eastside Community Development Center, Inc. (ECDC) Teaching Pantry and Community Garden, a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to transform the way northeast Wichita addresses food insecurity.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic groups
Evidence
The Teaching Pantry & Community Garden project successfully prepared multiple meal kits, which are currently being distributed throughout December. Each kit includes a full dinner for a family of 4 to 6, with ingredients sourced from Aldi. Kits are thoughtfully packaged with a recipe card, a visual cue card to build confidence in meal preparation, and a take-home grocery list to encourage at-home replication.
The design was intentionally thoughtful—combining dignity with clarity—and it showed in the feedback. From the first wave of completed surveys representing 43 individuals, 100% of participants said the cue cards helped them, and all but one said they would try making the meal again using their own ingredients. Survey included responses like:
- “All of it” and “Everything but the bird” when asked for favorite ingredients.
- “Something sweet” and “More food” as gentle improvement suggestions.
- Multiple expressions of interest in gardening, budgeting, and healthy eating tips, confirming that the project is generating long-term educational engagement—not just immediate meal satisfaction.
Incentives were also effective: Aldi gift cards were distributed to families who completed the feedback form. While feedback was optional, over 54.43% of participants provided their ZIP code and 100% provided household size, enabling us to track impact and refine our outreach.
Importantly, every family is also invited to participate in the upcoming gardening season, where they will help grow ingredients for future meal kits. This cycle of receive and give back reinforces the pantry’s philosophy: food + knowledge + community = empowerment.
Progress
-
Set your project focus and actions, who you’ll engage, and how you’ll measure success—plus a simple timeline. Submit this setup to kick off.
-
Share what’s done, what you’re learning, and any course corrections. Note any support needs to stay on track.
-
Summarize outcomes and evidence (reach, partnerships, dollars), key insights and barriers, and recommended next steps. Completing this closes your Actioneer project.
Collaborators
-
Donald Smith Jr.
Dashboard
- Collaborators
- 1
- New partnerships
- 4
- Total investment
- $5,000
- People impacted
- 79