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Isaiah 55, county-backed Inspire initiative highlight mobile gardens and youth feeding program
Summary
At the Hamilton County Commissioners meeting March 20, 2025, Isaiah 55 founder Shannon Carr described a mobile food program and community gardens supported by the county’s Inspire initiative; commissioners praised the program and noted partnerships and funding sources.
At the March 20, 2025 legislative meeting of the Hamilton County County Commissioners, Shannon Carr, founder and CEO of Isaiah 55 Incorporated, described a county-supported mobile feeding program and community gardens that provide free meals and educational programming for children.
Carr told the commissioners, “We grow food to feed the less fortunate healthier options,” and described the organization’s East Price Hill restaurant, Garden of Eaton, which she said offers free meals, and an expanding mobile program funded in part by a donated van. Commissioner Dumas introduced the group and thanked Robert Bell, director of the county’s Inspire initiative, for bringing the program before the board.
The Inspire initiative director, Robert Bell, said the county has funded multiple rounds of the program. “We’ve had 3 complete rounds and 145 programs; over 23,000 youth benefited from this program, and we spent over $704,000 on these programs,” Bell told the board. He said modest grants — “$20,000, $30,000, $40,000” in examples he gave — helped local groups scale up events and services for youth.
Carr described program operations: gardens maintained across the city, rescued produce used for meals, and a push to convert the restaurant into a licensed cannery to preserve produce for distribution. She said funding partners include Feeding America, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, the city’s “boots on the ground” program, and local foundations, and that the recent major funding item covered the donated van now used for mobile outreach.
Commissioners praised the program as a model for community partnerships and suggested potential additional partners, including the Farm Bureau and local agricultural-extension programs. Commissioner Reese encouraged public outreach and recommended a cooking demonstration and video to increase visibility. County staff and commissioners said they will follow up on opportunities to document and promote the program.
The presentation concluded with a brief photo opportunity and continued conversation about volunteer and partnership support.
The discussion took place during the commissioners’ routine remarks and a scheduled “Inspire initiative” presentation; no formal vote or county funding action occurred during this portion of the meeting.
