ALCHEMIST CDC

Calfresh at farmers' markets: provided calfresh (supplemental nutrition assistance benefits) processing services for 9 farmers' markets, and technical assistance to an additional 12 partner markets and farm stands, to ensure that low-income populations have equitable access to healthy food. Alchemist also implemented the market match incentive program, that matched calfresh benefits spent at farmers' markets with additional funds to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from california farmers. Market match empowers low-income shoppers to make healthy food choices by overcoming financial barriers. In 2024, alchemist cdc processed 45,576 calfresh transactions, and facilitated the distribution of 798,231 in calfresh benefits, and 802,824 in market match incentives to low-income households (combined alchemist cdc and partner markets).

Community food connections (cfc): provided food access support to 296 families identified by sacramento unified school district (scusd) staff as food, housing, and/or transportation insecure enrolled in 47 scusd schools (1,289 people supported monthly, 60% were children). This included 23,367 in fresh seasonal produce procured from local farmers, which was distributed to targeted food-insecure families. Spearheaded a project to impact food security school-wide by increasing participation in school-provided breakfast, while expanding program capacity to provide targeted school-based and home delivery of food boxes, focused on vulnerable subgroups, identifying improvement opportunities for the scusd nutrition services team. Additionally, launched community meals, a monthly event where unhoused families, part of the city of sacramento project homekey motel voucher program, are offered nutritious meals that can be replicated with their limited resources, while helping them connect with other resources to help them meet their basic needs. Community volunteers and students supported cfc providing over 2,104 hours to pack, deliver and/or support the event logistics at the community meals. Distributed 42,000 pounds of food in 2024. Alchemist kitchen: alchemist kitchen is a food business incubator focusing on entrepreneurs from low-income backgrounds and under-resourced communities. In 2024, the program served 64 businesses. Since the program's inception, the entrepreneurs we've served are 73% entrepreneurs of color, 63% low-income, 63% female, 21% lgbtqia+, 18% entrepreneurs with a disability and 3% veterans. The alchemist microenterprise academy (ama) is a 12-week food business training program covering fundamental topics for starting and growing a food business. In 2024 we graduated 31 businesses across two cohorts with each cohort of ama having over 48 hours of instruction and 25 guest instructors. The alchemist kitchen incubator program (akip) provides one-on-one support, goal planning, connections to resources and opportunities, and reduced-rent at commercial kitchen spaces for participating food businesses. In 2024 we grew the number of businesses in the incubator program to 28, providing them a combined total of over 600 hours of 1-on-1 technical assistance. Incubator program participants used over 1,500 hours at alchemist kitchen (shared commercial kitchen space), and had a combined total of over 980,000 in sales. Alchemist public markets: alchemist public market is a forthcoming community hub in sacramento's river district. The site will feature a caf, corner market, a shared-use kitchen, coworking space, food pods, and all-electric trailer incubators that will support emerging food entrepreneurs from our alchemist kitchen programs. Alongside retail and dining spaces, the market will house alchemist workforce academy, a new program offering restaurant and hospitality training and career pathways for participants facing barriers to employment. Together, these elements create a space that blends entrepreneurship, workforce development, and food access in a single, inclusive development. In 2024, we advanced alchemist public market from concept to schematic design and, by year's end, into design development, while recalibrating plans in response to rising costs and shifting program needs. Budgets were most impacted by increases in general construction costs, fears of tariffs and an unstable economy, and higher prevailing wage requirements. One key adjustment made to keep the project financially viable included shifting designs toward the inclusion of all-electric trailers and four food pods, rather than eight fully built pods. At the same time, alchemist made the strategic decision to operate workforce development and the caf, bar, and market directly in-house rather than rely on a third-party operator, strengthening alignment with its mission and long-term financial sustainability. By summer, a construction manager had been hired to consult our team on developer decisions, construction fencing secured the site, california jobs first grant advance funds were deposited, and planning with smud began around electrification and efficiency. River city bank approved the creation of a micro-lending program to serve incubator participants, and alchemist refined operational plans to integrate entrepreneurial support with community-serving retail. In the fall, entitlement documents were submitted to the city of sacramento, and a ceqa exemption was secured. Community visibility grew through a river district forum, partnerships with kaiser permanente and americorps nccc, and expanded collaborations to strengthen the market's eventual role in the community. While costs and timelines remained challenging, by year's end alchemist had regained momentum, secured critical approvals, and laid a clear path toward permitting, bidding, and the launch of construction in 2025. Other programs: participated in collaborative partnerships to develop and explore solutions to improve regional food systems, community redevelopment, and related health and wellbeing challenges for low-income and under-resourced neighborhoods. Advocated for systems change in order to address these issues.