Building Communities
Hopes Fulfilled Farm2Table (F2T)
The Hopes Fulfilled Farm2Table (F2T) food truck journey began with a simple dream: to provide the same access to fresh, healthy foods to the predominantly Africa American community of Evanston, OH as other nearby, more affluent communities, and to witness the community thrive as food consumption habits began to positively impact health outcomes.
Our Vision
Our vision is more than simply building a business – it’s about building communities.
Our Mission
Our mission is to ensure that current and future generations have access to affordable housing, healthy foods, education, training, and gainful employment.
Our Story
The original spark for the idea was conceived as a part of an adult rehabilitative (dayhab) program launched in 2019. This dayhab, formally known as Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), provides vocational and rehabilitative services to individuals with intellectual disabilities in order to prepare them for gainful and meaningful employment. One key focus of this initiative was providing hands-on, practical experience in seeding and growing fresh foods that can feed local families and communities.
Soon after, 2020 happened. Like most of the country, our ability to outreach and connect directly with members of the community was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we began to recognize the many logistical and economic challenges that members of underserved communities face when attempting to travel to large, premium and specialty grocers in nearby communities.
Our initial plan was to occupy an entire city block within Evanston and build an outdoor garden, restaurant, and marketplace like nearby Findlay Market. However, due to zoning and economic challenges, we recognized that this goal required substantial ramp-up and major financial investment. As a result, we concluded that investing in a food truck while leveraging the strengths of our existing efforts was the most impactful entry point to building a stronger, healthier community.
Our Leaders
Hope Johnson Gordon
Founder
I have over 20 years of teaching experience, 20 years of working with special needs populations and planning Individualized Lesson Plans, over 30 years in various entrepreneurial ventures, operations manager experience and an agriculture background.
I am also an advisor for a 4-H Club. What is 4-H? 4 H is America’s largest youth development organization—empowering nearly six million young people with the skills to lead for a lifetime.
My company’s purpose is to train and employ adults with intellectual disabilities in their self-directed agribusiness career choice in the agribusiness industry.
Hopes Fulfilled DD will help the developmentally disabled population in southwest Ohio achieve independence and self-fulfillment.