Building stronger communities through food access, community resources, and essential services
Desert Free Dare was founded to address critical needs in Dare County, North Carolina. Despite being a popular tourist destination, many of our communities—especially unincorporated mainland areas—face significant barriers to accessing healthy food, safe recreation spaces, and essential services.
Through data-driven research and community engagement, we've documented that over 7,300 residents live in critical food deserts, with limited access to grocery stores and fresh produce. Our research has also revealed that these same communities often lack recreation facilities, safe walking routes, and other vital community resources—needs so overlooked they don't even appear in standard databases.
Our approach combines immediate relief through mobile markets and transportation programs with long-term solutions like supporting local businesses, establishing community food systems, and documenting unmet needs through community-driven research. We believe that every resident of Dare County deserves access to healthy food, safe places to exercise, and essential services—regardless of their zip code or income level.
We listen to and partner with the communities we serve, ensuring our solutions meet real needs.
We use USDA data, conduct original research, and document gaps in existing databases to identify needs and measure impact.
We focus on long-term, systemic change rather than temporary fixes.
We work with local businesses, government, and other nonprofits to maximize impact.
Our board brings together diverse expertise in community development, business, public health, and nonprofit management to guide Desert Free Dare's mission.
Founder & Board Chair
Joseph founded Desert Free Dare after conducting extensive research on food deserts in Dare County. With 11 years of experience in technology and devops, he brings data-driven problem-solving and operational expertise to the organization.
Secretary
Bio and expertise coming soon.
Treasurer
Bio and expertise coming soon.
Establishing community gardens, mobile markets, and partnerships with local food producers to bring fresh, healthy food to underserved areas.
Documenting gaps in safe exercise spaces, parks, and trails. Conducting comprehensive recreation access studies to advocate for improved community health infrastructure.
Supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses that want to serve underserved communities, creating jobs and local economic growth.
Developing programs to help residents reach grocery stores, services, and recreation areas—including shuttle programs and delivery services.
Making invisible communities visible through data collection and community surveys, creating evidence to guide advocacy and funding.
Working with local organizations, churches, schools, and government to coordinate resources and maximize community impact.
Whether you want to volunteer, partner with us, or support our work, we'd love to hear from you.
Get in Touch