Tulsa, OK

LifeCity Validates Two Hampton Roads Ventures NMTC Investments in North Tulsa, OK

In April and May 2024, LifeCity visited Tulsa, Oklahoma to validate the impacts of two NMTC-financed projects on behalf of CDE Hampton Roads Ventures (HRV). The projects – Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma (FBEO) and Oasis Fresh Market – are each seeking to curb food insecurity and increase equitable access to healthy food in severely distressed low-income communities (LICs) in North Tulsa.

The two projects are both located near Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District – known colloquially as Black Wall Street due to the high concentration of Black-owned wealth that defined the neighborhood in the early twentieth century. Following the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, in which a white mob killed hundreds of local residents and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, a continued pattern of disinvestment has left the neighborhood struggling to recapture the affluence and self-sufficiency that once defined the region.

HRV’s projects seek to redress the pattern of inequity and disinvestment that has undermined the development of North Tulsa. The Food Bank of Oklahoma operates near historic Greenwood but serves as a “wholesaler” for a vast network of over 600 feeding partner agencies across a 24-county region in eastern Oklahoma. HRV’s investment helped the food bank expand its facility, enabling it to distribute over 31M pounds of food in 2023, serving both urban and rural communities, many of which are food deserts. The project has created over 30 FTEs so far at FBEO’s North Tulsa headquarters, providing quality employment opportunities in a community that has lacked such opportunities in recent years. FBEO is much more than a food pantry – the full-service, commercial kitchen allows the food bank to innovate, and the newly introduced line of frozen meals enables fresh food to reach a wider audience in Tulsa and beyond. 

Oasis Fresh Market aims to make healthy food more accessible to the local population by operating as the first Black-owned, full-service grocery store in North Tulsa in generations. Oasis is the culmination of numerous attempts by the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) to support a self-sufficient grocery store in the neighborhood. One year into operation, Oasis is a thriving community hub, offering fresh produce, meats, and baked goods, along with access to social services on-site including health, employment, and other critical resources. Oasis is also providing quality employment within the LIC. Oasis is living up to its name – a safe place and refuge for a community in need. The store hosts educational events, food giveaways, and community celebrations, serving as a hub and connector for the community.

North Tulsa has a rich history that seeks to reclaim its identity as a self-sufficient community in which all residents have the opportunity to thrive. Place-based community investments like those of HRV are one community development strategy helping North Tulsa move into a bright future.