Common Ground Producers and Growers (Common Ground) is a Mobile Market and Mobile Food Hub which provides fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables to food deserts and food insecurity areas. They do this by partnering with Kansas farmers and growers to provide fresh produce to their communities at an affordable price.
Donna Pearson McClish, a multi-generation farmer, is the founder and CEO of Common Ground Mobile Market and Mobile Food hub, a unique mobile food hub serving both urban and rural families. She is involved with local, state, and national community partners, and was appointed by the governor of Kansas to the State Board of Agriculture in 2021.
Common Ground is also a NCBA CLUSA small grant recipient, receiving $20,000 in 2024 to provide training and technical assistance to farmers in increasing production, expanding local farmer networks, creating opportunities for new markets, and strengthening local food systems.
Their primary goal is to increase access to fresh, healthy food, including proteins, fruits, and vegetables for residents across Kansas. To continue to support this vision, Common Ground will focus on community and farmer empowerment by supporting farmers with training and technical assistance as they make a financial impact on their communities by providing online and in-person training to assist farmers and small-scale growers in understanding basic accounting and business plan development and also to provide training for farmers to develop bank-ready business plans for their farms and ranches prior to submitting applications for capital funding. These resources will be used to foster independence in food production and to strengthen their local economy.
On May 14, 2024, the organization will attend the Rural Communities in Action event at the White House, and Donna will serve on a panel with 3 other rural leaders.
Common Ground was a recipient of United Way of the Plain’s Promise on the Plains initiative. The funding they received went towards Common Ground’s mission of serving healthy and fresh food, but when we went to see how it worked, we learned they are doing more than food delivery. We congratulate them on this achievement and look forward to their continued success! Watch the video below to learn more.