Food Strong: Cultivating Food Justice from the Ground Up

Cleveland State University alum Sara Continenza (MPA ’14) has a deep passion for giving back to her community.

The Food Strong founder is transforming a historic Superior Avenue farmhouse into a hub for education, business incubation and community engagement, expanding the organization she launched in 2018 to advance food justice in Northeast Ohio by building enduring local food systems.

Founded to unify and expand her earlier School Garden and Care-a-Van wellness programs, Food Strong provides fresh food access and nutrition education through partnerships with schools, churches and civic groups, including hands-on initiatives such as a traveling garden bed program where older students teach younger ones to build garden boxes.

Inside Food Strong’s Farmhouse Transformation

Food Strong’s vision comes to life through its newest endeavor: transforming a 3-acre historic farmhouse—originally built in the 1800s and later home to St. George’s Lithuanian Catholic Church—into a hub for food sovereignty and community development. 

“Back in 2010, the church sold the space to a nonprofit called Community Greenhouse Partners, who turned it back into a farm and later donated it to us in 2023,” said Continenza.

Little did Continenza realize the donation would not only provide Food Strong with a permanent home but also create new opportunities to expand the organization’s impact. 

“We're going to transform that commercial kitchen into a space for business incubation, education and catering events,” Continenza said of the farmhouse property. “Imagine attending a wedding or a conference catered with farm-fresh, local food grown on site. This is about vision and possibility.”

Continenza’s Work is Rooted in Generational and International Value

Continenza’s commitment to food justice is deeply personal. 

Raised by a father who survived the Great Depression and emphasized the importance of growing and valuing food, she developed an early appreciation for sustainability and self‑reliance.

“He taught us those skills in that way of valuing food and not wasting,” she said. “And he composted, it was very forward-thinking.”

Her international experiences with the Peace Corps in West Africa and her time teaching in Japan further shaped her understanding of food systems, inequities and the importance of community empowerment. 

“Food sovereignty is at the heart of what we do,” she explained. “We’re not just about food security. We empower people to grow, cook and understand their own food systems. We want communities to reclaim ownership of what they eat.”

Continenza reflected on her four years with the Hunger Network, where she often saw the same individuals returning month after month for assistance. While the support provided immediate relief, she noticed little focus on long-term solutions to help people move beyond relying on handouts, prompting her to think more deeply about creating sustainable change rather than temporary aid.

“I realized that when I started Food Strong, I wanted people to be self-reliant,” said Continenza. “So, I founded Food Strong as a food sovereignty organization to take further what these amazing food security organizations like the Foodbank, the Hunger Network and the pantries are doing in their communities.”

CEO Works Outside of Food Strong Organization

Not only does Continenza work diligently as Food Strong’s founder, but she also serves on the CSU Alumni Association Board and co-chairs its Governance Committee, where she collaborates with members on the best ways to engage the board.

“We are planning some group volunteerism right now, and also surveying our members to keep a pulse on their experiences and goals,” said Continenza.

In addition to her board work, she mentors students through the Levin College of Public Affairs, meeting with mentees monthly and participating in related programming.

“One of my favorite moments was when one of my mentees came out and volunteered with Food Strong's school program,” she said.

Continenza was recently honored with the Love In Action Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award for her dedication to the community. She accepted the award at the East Cleveland Public Library. 

“I felt incredibly honored and blessed to have the opportunity to accept an award by such an incredible, giving organization along with so many other phenomenal awardees,” she said. “This acknowledgment makes me feel refreshed and more determined than ever to continue the work I do with Food Strong and with South Euclid City Council. There are a lot of hurdles, but moments like this help me surpass the hurdles with renewed purpose.”

Mission Moving Forward

Continenza’s five-year plan for Food Strong includes expanding the farmhouse into headquarters by restoring growing spaces, improving accessibility and repurposing the historic church for education, arts and entrepreneurship, while keeping youth engagement central through workshops, recreation and volunteer opportunities, with the goal of creating a model for sustainable community development. 

“Many organizations rely solely on grants, and many faith-based institutions have historical real estate that’s expensive to maintain,” said Continenza. “Let's show other things we can do to raise revenue and also retrofit with renewable energy. We're definitely going to be solar.”

Through volunteer days, urban agriculture workshops and practical programs that promote critical thinking, nutrition literacy and self-sufficiency, Food Strong has grown into more than a nonprofit—it is a movement rooted in justice and community transformation, cultivating lasting change from the ground up, which Continenza said she loves seeing flourish in the community.

“It’s like any parent that watches their kid grow up,” said Continenza. “It's really cool and I'm so happy to see all this amazing progress.”