TULSA, Okla. — The City of Tulsa will receive the 2022 Audrey Nelson Award from the National Community Development Association (NCDA) during its winter conference on Feb. 4.
The city will receive the award for its role in bringing the Oasis Fresh Market to north Tulsa, which aims to eliminate food deserts in the area.
“We are honored to receive the 2022 Audrey Nelson Award for a project that was years in the making to provide residents equitable access to healthy food options,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “Oasis Fresh Market is a citywide effort to meet the needs of our neighbors and allow more opportunities for economic development in the area I’d like to congratulate our City team for this big project to continue our goal of seeing food deserts eliminated in North Tulsa.”
The City’s $1.5 million Community Development Block Grant gave the project momentum that raised $6.1 million in total funding with investments from Tulsa Development Authority, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Zarrow Family Foundation, the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation, and other local foundations.
The Oasis Fresh Market also pays tribute to Black Tulsa grocers who lost their businesses during the 1921 Race Massacre that destroyed the historic Greenwood District.