Food

Community invests in proposed West Oakland grocery store

Ahmadi said he had no choice but to fundraise from residents, rather than taking a more traditional path such as a loan from a bank. On paper, the project showed a high risk of failure “both because it’s a start-up and a low-margin business—also because of the perceptions of the challenges of the neighborhood,” said Ahmadi.

Fresh and free produce, no strings attached

Every Tuesday morning, Max Cadji of Phat Beets drops off half a dozen boxes of fresh fruit and produce at Jasper P. Driver Plaza in North Oakland. The food is grown at several local urban farms and gardens and distributed to the community.

Refugee group helps employ women in need

When Rafiullah Amiri, who had immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan, noticed that many women within his immigrant community were confined to their homes—shocked by the culture difference and unable to speak the language of their host country—he had an idea: They could earn money cooking.