For years, residents across Gary have named the same barrier: it’s not that people can’t afford healthy food options, it’s that they can’t access it.

On March 9, 2026, Gary Townmakers hosted the first of two Let’s Transform Your Neighborhood  workshops from our GreenRoots Initiative. It was an evening that brought residents, local developers, environmental experts, and community partners together to deepen our shared understanding of brownfields, redevelopment, and the future we’re building in Gary. This workshop was held in partnership with Jamie Zouras, Jenny Par, and Gillian Chesnut of the Delta Institute, and Beth Grig