Nothing brings a community together quite like breaking bread among friends and neighbors.
Doing so against a backdrop of locally grown heirloom tomatoes and other fresh produce does make things a tad more colorful, though.
Officials from , the University of Missouri-Kansas City, , Kansas City and a host of neighborhood organizations came together June 30 to break bread in celebration of the start of construction of the 51 Oak Project, a new development on the UMKC campus that will include the new grocery market, as well as a new UMKC Student Health and Counseling Center, 170 market-rate apartments and a six-story parking garage with 445 spaces.
Officials concluded the “breadbreaking” event by literally pulling apart a six-foot-long loaf of freshly-baked ciabatta bread.
“Sharing food has been a way for people of all cultures to come together to form a unified bond,” said UMKC Chancellor Leo E. Morton. “May we continue to tie everything together, bringing all the diversity of our lives together in peace, harmony and unity.”
Speakers included Morton, James, Dave Harrison of Van Trust, Bonne Illig of the and Red Elk Banks of Whole Foods. Several of the speakers lauded the spirit of cooperation among various stakeholders that led to a development agreement described as a “win-win-win” for all.
Reviewed 2015-07-01