Serving The People « Building Self-Reliance

The Center houses South LA’s 1^st organic produce market and a local food hub increasing access to healthy local food for the entire South Los Angeles community. It includes CSU’s headquarters, a commercial kitchen and an urban farm, which allows us to expand training and education programs to reach more people, especially local youth.

The Village Market Place Social Enterprise

Established in 2007, the VMP is a wholesale and retail food business that increases access to locally grown, beyond organic, fresh produce and other healthy foods at affordable prices to South Central Los Angeles residents, while creating jobs and training opportunities. In 2015 the VMP served nearly 9000 households and distributed <100,000 pounds of produce through pop-up produce stands, a produce bag subscription program, wholesale distribution, catering, and production and sale of value-added products. The VMP Food Hub at PRCWC will provide the infrastructure to expand services and increase capacity so we can meet the growing demands of current and future customers for our products.

LEED Certified – A Model For Sustainable Development

Sustainable practices are a cornerstone of the Center’s design, which includes solar panels, grey water, natural lighting and ventilation systems, pedestrian friendly entrance, and bike parking. The property is LEED certified by the US Green Building Council at the GOLD level. LEED-certified buildings are resource efficient, using less water and energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

We envision a space that is unprecedented in our community, that will meet critical community needs, while revitalizing the neighborhood and serving as a model for sustainability and community self-sufficiency.