Dear Friends,
The new year brings with it the promise of new hope-- especially when we invest in creating opportunity. Your support creates pathways for aspiring food-preneurs to build businesses that generate income, stability, and community wealth. These ventures are the foundation of a more vibrant and inclusive local foodieconomy. With your help, more Rhode Islanders can step into that future.
Our mission has always been to expand the dream and close the distance between ideas and possibility. Since opening the state’s first shared-use kitchens in Warren in 2014, we have helped food-preneurs from all means and backgrounds to pursue their dreams of business ownership. In the last decade, our innovative incubation model has launched over 575 food businesses—60% women-owned and 45% founded by entrepreneurs of color.
We are an engine of inclusive economic development. Did you know that one out of every four new consumer packaged food businesses established in Rhode Island begins at Hope & Main? It’s true.
You can invest in the programs that launch food futures. Hope & Main West End Kitchens is our bold response to surging demand for inclusive food entrepreneurship in Rhode Island—demand that has doubled since 2021. More than half of our recent applicants come from the state’s urban core, where aspiring food-preneurs face significant logistical and financial barriers to launching their businesses.
From the East Bay to the West End: We are here on purpose! This new location in Providence will offer more accessible options for production, storage, and transportation—but it’s our wraparound programming that truly unlocks opportunity. Your support powers the training, mentorship, technical assistance, and market access that help hundreds of first-time founders reach the starting line. Together, we can ignite the dreams of the next generation and ensure no one is left on the back burner.
As always, with gratitude,
Lisa
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