Local mom LeAnne Richards has entered the Pepsi Refresh Grant project in an attempt to win a $25,000 grant to open a community kitchen in Northwest Arkansas. She needs our help to open the CakeGirls Community Kitchen (that’s her own little 6-year-old cake girl on the right).
CLICK HERE to vote for LeAnne, who calls herself a “small time baker with big time dreams”.
LeAnne said the kitchen would have several uses. “It would be utilized as a culinary business incubator where people could come in, cook their specialty items then resell them at the local farmers market, for catering jobs, or even sell the items to small restaurants and other food venues,” she wrote to us in an email. “The kitchen would also be used as a central point for children’s cooking classes and as a venue for health and nutrition classes.”
“As a local resident and a mother, I am dedicated to helping others reach their full potential. There are many people in our area that have the drive and ability to run a successful small business, but don’t have the financial means to invest money into a commercial kitchen space. I would love to help jumpstart someone’s dream, create new businesses in NWA and at the same time, help to improve the health of local residents and get children comfortable in the kitchen.”
The winner of the grant is chosen by online voting. Voting is very easy, but she needs as many people as possible in the community to commit to voting through the end of June. LeAnne needs to finish in the top 10 to win the grant and to finish in the top 100 for a chance to continue to compete in July.
