Bay Area

Oakland Cuts Funding to Community Programs Organized by Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project

Acta Non Verba,a youth urban farm project fighting food insecurity and diet-related health issues in Oakland, recently lost its city funding despite protests by community members and other local organizations such as the Sugar Freedom Project last month. ANV, which has two farms, one in West Oakland and one in East Oakland, was backed by the 2017 tax on sugar-sweetened beverages of 1 cent per fluid ounce. The intended beneficiaries of this tax were programs like ANV’s that are helping combat the intake of sugary processed foods and diet-related health issues. ANV farms serve a further purpose in that the produce from their farms is used to create Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) bags which they freely distribute to community members who need them.

Published

2 years ago

August 6, 2024

Oakland Post

A lack of access to healthy foods leads to an increased consumption of processed foods which tend to be higher in sodium, and artificial sugars. These diets can lead to many negative health effects, the most common being diabetes. About 10% of the adult population has diabetes. In 2018, African American people were twice as likely to die from diabetes than white people.

By Daisha Williams

ANV, which has two farms, one in West Oakland and one in East Oakland, was backed by the 2017 tax on sugar-sweetened beverages of 1 cent per fluid ounce. The intended beneficiaries of this tax were programs like ANV’s that are helping combat the intake of sugary processed foods and diet-related health issues.

ANV farms serve a further purpose in that the produce from their farms is used to create Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) bags which they freely distribute to community members who need them.

During the Oakland City Council meeting on July 18 the city stood firm on its decision despite pushback from the community.

Cutting these funds negatively affects parents, children, and unhoused individuals.

Rachel Parker, the CSA manager and one of the full-time workers at the West Oakland farm said, “The soda tax was a perfect opportunity for the city to do right by its citizens and they failed to deliver.” She and many other people left that meeting feeling both frustrated and infuriated at the city failing to keep its word.

The cut in funding has detrimental effects on the community because there are many neighborhoods in Oakland that are considered food deserts. A food desert is defined as a neighborhood where at least a third of the population lives more than half a mile from the nearest grocery store. African American and low-income households tend to make up these neighborhoods.

In 2021, 900 neighborhoods in the Bay Area had limited access to food. With the prices of produce continuing to increase, even when distance isn’t a problem, for many people fresh produce is simply out of their budget.

One of the workers prefers the term “food apartheid.” A desert is something that occurs naturally but the fact that certain neighborhoods cannot access healthy food is intentional.

These effects are just a fraction of the things that ANV is trying to remedy with their work. ANV wants to continue supplying the community with fresh, organically grown produce but cannot do so without the proper funding. They are accepting donations and have created a “pay it forward” campaign in order to help them continue to serve the community.

In addition to the farms, ANV has programs catered toward youth, the biggest being Camp ANV, a six-week overnight camp where kids are able to get out of an urban environment, connect with nature, learn how to use food as medicine, develop cooking skills as well as gain skill in archery. They also have an adult camp held each fall to fundraise for their youth camp called Camp for Grown Folx.

ANV turns no child away from the camp due to lack of funds because they believe that this is an experience that every kid should be able to have.

They use the produce from these farms to put together CSA bags that they distribute at no cost to community members who need them.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.