FoodChain's mission is to forge links between our community and fresh food with education and demonstration of sustainable food systems.

Since 2011 FoodChain has operated KY's first indoor aquaponics farm inside the Bread Box on West SIxth St in Lexington's Northside. In 2017 we opened our Teaching and Processing Kitchen, where we have distributed more than 1.6 million meals and rescued hundreds of thousands of pounds of produce from the landfill. We have woven youth education through every aspect of this work, including the Bluegrass Urban Farm Friends (BUFF) program in partnership with Seedleaf, Trees! Lexington, Live Green Lexington, and the Fayette County Extension Office. This program provides middle and high school students with paid internship learning experiences where they gain real world experience with natural and agricultural environments in an urban setting. Additionally, FoodChain provides youth workforce experience in our teaching and processing kitchen. In May of 2026 we opened our Neighborhood Green Grocery, a space for increased food access in the community, with dignity, choice, and celebration of the rich agricultural landscape and history of Kentucky. FoodChain has continued to build youth participation into every aspect of this work.

• Cultural/Multi-Arts
• Visual Arts
• Public Art

FoodChain and Tony Wavy are requesting $10,000 to launch an innovative program that combines public art, neighborhood development, food access, and culinary education. The program will engage youth residing in the Smithtown neighborhood through two connected creative experiences: the development of a collaborative public mural and the continuation of FoodChain’s popular youth culinary competition, Grillin’ N Chillin’. Youth participants will work alongside professional artist Tony Wavy to create a public mural on the exterior of the Bread Box, adjacent to FoodChain’s new Neighborhood Green Grocery. The grocery provides neighborhood residents with increased access to fresh, healthy food and now accepts EBT benefits. The mural will enhance the visual landscape surrounding this important community resource while giving young people an opportunity to express themselves, celebrate their neighborhood, and create meaningful representation within their community. The program will begin with youth brainstorming and idea-development sessions. Participants will be encouraged to share their interests, memories, experiences, and ideas about what is important, exciting, and meaningful in the Smithtown neighborhood. These collaborative sessions will allow the mural’s concept and scope to grow directly from the voices and perspectives of neighborhood youth. Once the concept has been developed, Tony Wavy will refine the design for large-scale public installation and create a detailed work plan for completing the mural. FoodChain and Tony Wavy will also secure the materials, supplies, and equipment needed to prepare and paint the mural. The mural unveiling will coincide with Smithtown Day, held on the first Saturday of August 2027. The celebration will also feature the annual Grillin’ N Chillin’ youth cooking competition, in which young people compete in teams to create and share original dishes using local ingredients, rescued produce, and their own culinary creativity. Through hands-on cooking experiences, participants will build important life skills while learning about nutrition, agriculture, local Kentucky gardens, food access, and creative approaches to preparing healthy meals. Youth will have opportunities to work with professional chefs and artists, gaining mentorship and exposure to potential educational and career pathways in both the culinary and visual arts. FoodChain and Tony Wavy will partner with local youth-serving organizations to expand participation and strengthen the program’s community impact. Potential partners include the West End Community Empowerment Program, Douglass Community Center, Harrison Elementary School, and Lexington Middle School. Planning meetings, youth engagement activities, and brainstorming sessions may take place at these nearby schools and community organizations, while the primary mural activities, culinary programming, and public celebration will occur at FoodChain’s main facility and the adjacent Coolavin Park. By bringing together visual and culinary arts, this program will create multiple pathways for neighborhood youth to participate, contribute, and lead. Some young people may be drawn to painting, design, and public art, while others may find their creative voice through cooking, agriculture, and food preparation. Together, these experiences will provide youth with a shared canvas for creativity, collaboration, skill-building, and neighborhood pride. The completed mural and community celebration will serve as lasting expressions of Smithtown’s identity, creativity, and collective vision while strengthening connections among youth, families, local organizations, and neighborhood resources.

FoodChain and Tony Wavy Youth Public Art and Culinary Engagement Program will create lasting benefits for the Smithtown neighborhood and the broader Lexington community by using creativity as a tool for connection, education, and empowerment. This project goes beyond creating a mural; it creates a shared community experience where young people, families, artists, professionals and neighborhood organizations come together to celebrate the identity and potential of their community. One of the primary benefits of this program is providing youth with meaningful opportunities for creative expression, leadership development, and skill-building. Participants will have the opportunity to work alongside professional artists and culinary professionals while learning valuable skills in public art, design, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, cooking, nutrition, and community engagement. By seeing their ideas transformed into a permanent public artwork, youth will have a direct visual manifestation of their work and a stronger sense of belonging and ownership within their neighborhood. The project also benefits the Smithtown community by transforming a highly visible public space into an inviting and inspiring environment. The completed mural will serve as a lasting symbol of neighborhood pride, creativity, and collaboration. It will enhance the area surrounding FoodChain’s Neighborhood Green Grocery while creating a welcoming space where residents and visitors can gather, celebrate, and engage with the community. Through the combination of public art and culinary programming, the project supports community wellness byFoodChain, Inc connecting creativity with healthy living. Youth participating in Grillin’ N Chillin’ will learn about nutrition, agriculture, food access, and sustainable food systems while gaining practical culinary skills. These experiences help young people develop healthier relationships with food while increasing awareness of resources available within their own neighborhood. The program strengthens Lexington’s creative ecosystem by supporting local artists, engaging community partners, and creating opportunities for residents to participate in professional-quality arts experiences. Instead of art being something only experienced in traditional arts spaces, this project brings high-quality art directly into the neighborhood and allows community members to become active contributors in the creative process. The partnerships developed through this initiative will create stronger connections between FoodChain, local schools, youth-serving organizations, families, and community members. By working together toward a shared creative vision, the program builds relationships that extend beyond the project timeline and contribute to a more connected and engaged community.

The project will be promoted through the social media platforms of FoodChain, Tony Wavy, and participating community partners. Posts will highlight project milestones, youth opportunities, mural progress, workshops, and the final Smithtown Day celebration. Promotion will include: Social media announcements, Behind-the-scenes content showcasing the creative process, Artist introductions and community stories, Countdown campaigns, Photos and videos. Partner organizations will be encouraged to share promotional materials.To ensure the project reaches neighborhood residents who may not engage online, FoodChain and Tony Wavy will use direct community outreach strategies, including: Conversations with neighborhood residents and community leaders including city council members and VisitLex for sharing, Outreach through schools and youth-serving organizations, Distribution of flyers, Community partners include the WECEP, Douglass Center, Harrison, Lexington Middle School, and others.

The primary audience for this program is youth ages 10–18 living in the Smithtown neighborhood and surrounding West End communities of Lexington. Through partnerships with FoodChain, the West End Community Empowerment Program, Douglass Community Center, Harrison Elementary School, Lexington Middle School, and other youth-serving organizations, the program will intentionally engage young people who have historically had limited access to high-quality arts programming, mentorship opportunities, and creative enrichment experiences. Our audience may also include families, neighborhood residents, program participants, local artists, educators, chefs, and volunteers who will participate in the mural creation process, culinary activities, and the Smithtown Day celebration. By combining public art, culinary education, and community celebration, the program creates meaningful opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to connect, learn, and participate in the arts.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core to this project, which removes barriers to arts participation by offering free creative experiences directly in Smithtown. Partnering with FoodChain, schools, and local groups, the project provides hands-on opportunities for youth to shape a permanent public mural regardless of financial or artistic background. Youth will explore cultural diversity through global cuisines, storytelling, and visual art—examining how food ties to identity and heritage. These themes will directly inform the mural, incorporating cultural motifs and symbolic patterns to create a collective portrait of the neighborhood. By blending visual arts, culinary traditions, and multicultural performances like music and dance during Smithtown Day, the program offers multiple ways for youth to engage. Led by FoodChain and Tony Wavy, this collaborative process honors youth voices, creating lasting public art that celebrates Smithtown's rich community identity.

This project is built on a collaborative partnership between FoodChain and Tony Wavy, bringing together expertise in food education, community engagement, youth development, and public art to create an innovative program that serves the Smithtown neighborhood. Together, we are creating opportunities for young people to explore creativity through both visual and culinary arts while strengthening community connections and neighborhood pride. FoodChain will lead youth recruitment through its established relationships with neighborhood families, schools, and community organizations while providing access to its Neighborhood Green Grocery, educational programming, staff support, and event coordination. As a trusted community organization, FoodChain's network allows the project to reach youth who may have limited access to arts programming and mentorship opportunities. Tony Wavy will serve as the lead teaching artist and muralist, guiding participants through the creative process from concept development to installation. Youth will collaborate directly with a professional artist to develop the mural's theme, contribute ideas rooted in their lived experiences, and participate in creating a permanent public artwork that reflects the identity and diversity of the Smithtown community. The project will also collaborate with organizations including the WECEP, Douglass Community Center, Harrison Elementary, LMS, Smithtown Neighborhood Association, and other neighborhood partners. These organizations will help recruit participants, promote the program, connect families with opportunities, and encourage ongoing community involvement. Additional partnerships with local chefs, artists, educators, and volunteers will provide mentorship and expose youth to potential educational and career pathways in both the culinary and creative industries. The project also supports Lexington's creative economy by employing local artists, partnering with localFoodChain, Inc organizations, and increasing visibility for neighborhood businesses and community resources during Smithtown Day. By combining public art, food education, and community celebration, these partnerships create a model for cross-sector collaboration that demonstrates how the arts can advance education, promote health and wellness, strengthen neighborhoods, and foster a more connected Lexington community.

The goals of this program are to empower youth through creative expression, increase equitable access to arts and cultural experiences, strengthen community connections, and enhance the Smithtown neighborhood through collaborative public art. By engaging young people in the design and creation of a permanent mural alongside FoodChain's culinary education programming, participants will develop artistic, leadership, and life skills while building confidence and a sense of belonging. The program also aims to foster partnerships among artists, schools, community organizations, and families to create lasting educational and cultural impact. These goals directly support our mission of transforming public spaces into opportunities for creativity, learning, and community pride while ensuring that all youth have access to meaningful arts experiences.

The success of the program will be evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative measures to assess participant engagement, artistic outcomes, community impact, and partnership effectiveness. Quantitative data will include the number of youth participants, volunteers, partner organizations involved, workshop attendance, community members attending Smithtown Day, and participation in the Grillin' N Chillin' competition. We will also track the number of mural planning sessions, volunteer painting hours, and social media engagement, including reach, shares, comments, and event participation generated through our promotional efforts. Qualitative evaluation will include participant surveys, reflection activities, and informal interviews with youth, parents, community partners, and volunteers. Youth will be encouraged to share how the experience influenced their confidence, creativity, teamwork, leadership skills, and sense of connection to their neighborhood. Partner organizations will provide feedback regarding collaboration, program effectiveness, and opportunities for future improvement. Project staff will document the program through photography, video, and participant testimonials to capture the creative process and community impact. The completed mural will also serve as a lasting indicator of the project's success by providing an accessible public artwork that continues to engage residents and visitors beyond the grant period. Success will be measured by increased youth participation in the arts, strengthened partnerships between community organizations, meaningful community involvement throughout the mural process, successful completion of the public artwork, and positive feedback from participants and neighborhood residents. Findings from these evaluations will be used to improve future programming, strengthen partnerships, and expand opportunities for youth engagement through public art and culinary education.

• Leandra_Forman_Resume.docx
• Tony-Wavy-Resume-Updatded.pdf