“Good F-Words” in Gary: A Case Study of How Faith, Farming, Finance, and the Field of Science are Combining to Transform Food Systems in Steel City

One finding of recent scholarship on urban religious communities and food insecurity is a shift from security and charitable models toward community-led food systems development. This paper examines how urban Christian churches transition from operating traditional food pantries and supporting corporate for-profit solutions to building self-determined food systems. Using a case study of FAITH CDC in Gary, Indiana—a non-profit affiliated with a historic Black Baptist church in “Steel City”—this research analyzes the move from a food security framework to one of “food sovereignty.” Drawing on preliminary fieldwork and existing literature on religion, race, and food justice, this paper explores how FAITH CDC integrates what they call “good F-words”—Faith, Farming, Finance, and the Field of science—to counteract an extractive food system. It argues that their holistic model—typified by their redefinition of “soul food”—represents a transformative strategy that prioritizes community agency over “solutions” that sustain the status quo.