The Ion Bank Foundation recently awarded a $10,000 grant to the Brass City Harvest in order to enact its Brass City Sustainability Project.

The grant will help convert a 3.5-acre piece of land in the heart of the South End neighborhood of Waterbury into a food hub. The new facility will process freshly grown foods under new FDA regulations and will offer local small farmers an affordable method to abide by these regulations. The facility is looking to create long-term solutions for fresh food accessibility for this region, while also creating 24 new jobs with recruits selected from the Greater Waterbury area, with special emphasis on residents from the South End Neighborhood.

“The Brass City Sustainability Project unites the community by protecting the independence of the small farmer and providing both jobs and healthy food to those in the inner city,” Charles J. Boulier III, president and CEO of Ion Bank, said in a statement. “It is of the utmost importance to provide nutritious food for a strong and successful community.”