The Truth Staff
“An evening of impact, inspiration and investment” was the theme of the sixth annual Golden Hour Gala presented by Urban Wholistics on Sunday, October 17, at the Olivet Lutheran Church Life Center.
The evening was indeed inspirational as Urban Wholistics brought together community leaders and honored contributors to their efforts and fed and entertained an audience of supporters.
The organization is an urban farming non-profit that not only grows healthy produce but also enables community members to acquire the nutrients needed from food for healthy digestion and to combat health disparities faced in urban communities,
Urban Wholistics Founder and Executive Director Sonia Flunder McNair has an urban farm located in the center city at 619 Woodland in the Art Tatum district. For 10 years she has championed urban farming within the community, cultivating local produce, educating youth and adults on farming and employing community members to work.
The evening’s highlights included music provided by John Cunningham & Friends, a dinner by Chef Moussa Salloukh (of Souk and Sabira), an auction of a variety of donated products, a ceremony honoring supporters and a keynote address by farmer Bob Jones.
This year’s Growing Community Award Recipients were: The Chef’s Garden; Manhattan Cook; Melinda Aldridge; Alexicia Sims; Harold Mosley, Jr; The Lathrop Company; Lucas County Commissioners; Greater Toledo Community Foundation; Toledo City Paper; Kristen Moncrief; The Sojourner’s Truth.
The Chef’s Garden was recognized for its commitment to sustainable agriculture, agricultural education and supporting the growth of local food systems and farming communities.
Manhattan Cook, a young graduate of Urban Wholistics Youth Farmers Program, was honored for her dedication and growth. She also received a scholarship in recognition of her accomplishments.
Aldridge was honored for her community leadership and advocacy. Mosley was honored for his community engagement and commitment to advancing positive change in underserved communities.
The Lathrop Company was recognized for its partnership in advancing accessibility at Urban Wholistics urban farm and farmhouse. The Lucas County Commissioners were thanked for investment if community development and support of local initiatives.
The Greater Toledo Community Foundation was noted for its philanthropic leadership and investment in grassroots organizations.
Kristen Moncrief was honored for her generosity, volunteer service and commitment fo supporting community-based initiatives.
The Toledo City Paper and The Sojourner’s Truth were honored for their commitment to community journalism.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening was the keynote address by Bob Jones, Jr, CEO of the Chef’s Garden, a 40-year-old farm in Erie County that focuses on specialty vegetables, microgreens, herbs, lettuces and edible flowers for chefs around the country. The Chef’s Garden uses traditional, regenerative farming methods combined with innovative technology to grow exceptional vegetables and to care for the land, as Jones was to explain in detail to the delight of the receptive audience.
Regenerative agriculture, said Jones, is a holistic, outcome‑based approach to farming that focuses on restoring and improving soil health, biodiversity, water cycles, and overall ecosystem function rather than merely sustaining current conditions.
Urban Wholistics has been able to engage the community through land development and the education on fresh food cultivation as well as consumption. The Urban Wholistics initiative started with the Urban South Youth Farmers (USFY) program that has now cultivated a Youth Farmer’s Market. The USYF program teaches children how to grow their own food and introduces modern technology for current relevancy.
Urban Wholistics originated the passion through discovering the necessity for fresh food access after acquiring education on food nutrition. Flunder-McNair led the purpose-driven initiative to empower others to acquire the nutrients needed from food for healthy digestion and to combat health disparities faced in urban communities.
