In late spring, the corner of Superior Avenue and East 67th Street bustled with celebration as dozens of community friends, partners, staff and volunteers cheered the official ribbon cutting of the Superior Farm. The once vacant farmland sits on a nearly three-acre property that boasts a 7,000-square-foot farmhouse and a 20,000-square-foot former church.
The property’s newest owner, Cleveland-based nonprofit Food Strong, has a five-year plan to revitalize these spaces. Executive Director Sara Continenza recently shared the vision for the spaces. The farmhouse will become the organization’s headquarters, the former church will be reimagined as a community gathering space and education hub, and the vacant land will be transformed into an urban farm.
“The ribbon cutting was an opportunity to attract new donors, volunteers, supporters, and visionaries,” Continenza said. “Unless you see the space, you don’t fully understand the scope of possibilities.”
The Food Strong website details the growth of the organization since its founding in 2018 and its commitment to using the power of fresh, locally grown food to cultivate food justice in Northeast Ohio. Over the years they have expanded their services beyond their two flagship programs – the School Garden initiative and the Care-a-Van community wellness program. Services described on the website include a Learning Garden, an urban farm in East Cleveland, a Vacant Lot Restoration Initiative, a Mobile Farm Stand (MFS) and partnerships with 14 local schools to provide on-site learning experiences. The acquisition of this property will support their suite of existing services and will expand and enhance their programming in the community notes Continenza.
Although over 1,000 people have volunteered to clean up the land and vacant properties, known as The Superior Farm Fixup, many people in the community didn’t know about the revitalization project. Continenza wanted to connect more people to the project and help them see the big vision for rehabilitating and activating the space.
Building From a Strong Foundation
Continenza saw the possibilities when she toured the property in 2017. At the time, Community Greenhouse Partners (CGP) managed the property, and she ran her own school garden program. She hadn’t yet incorporated Food Strong, but she knew one of the founding members of CGP from her years working in the local food scene. She had been to the farm many times, but it wasn’t until that tour in 2017 that it all clicked.
“I did another tour and on my Instagram from that day there’s a picture of me inside the church and all it said under the image was ‘Imagine the Possibilities,’” she said.
A few years would pass before CGP opened the Request-for-Proposal (RFP) process to find a new owner of the property. Food Strong put in an extensive, well-conceived plan, received 15 letters of support, and was ultimately chosen as the next stewards of the Superior Farm.
A farm with deep roots
Although nonprofits have been managing the property since its acquisition by CGP in 2010, the origin story of the property dates back to the late 19th century, according to Cleveland Area History.
The old farmhouse, which once belonged to German immigrants Henry and Catherine Beckenbach, will be renovated into the organization’s headquarters. The farmhouse was built between 1874 and 1881 in the Italianate style. The house still bears the marks of its past: a low-pitched roof, overhanging eaves with ornate brackets, tall, narrow windows and a porch with delicate railings. Though time has worn away some of its grandeur, architecture tells stories of a different era.
The house was sold to the Catholic Diocese in 1917 as noted by Cleveland Area History. It was converted into a rectory for St. George’s Lithuanian Church, which opened in 1921 according to The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. The building served as a rectory until 2009 when the church shut its doors.
The farmhouse is currently Food Strong’s volunteer headquarters, but Continenza said the plan is to transform the first floor into functional office space. There are additional offices for lease on the second floor and space to create wellness programs for the community.
From Church Services to Community Services
The church – formerly St. George’s Lithuanian Church – sits prominently on East 67th Street, adjacent to the farmhouse. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History notes the church was designed by architect J. Ellsworth Potter. St. George’s became the spiritual and cultural heart of a thriving Lithuanian community and remains the oldest surviving Lithuanian building in the city per Global True Lithuania.
The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History notes “Cleveland’s Lithuanian community is recognized as one of the most active and productive in terms of organizational activity, community consciousness, political and civic involvement in the general affairs of Greater Cleveland, literary activity and the arts, and folk art ensembles, and is the home community of numerous persons prominent in various fields among the Lithuanian nation worldwide.”
The church has an array of distinct spaces and is central to Food Strong’s future, says Continenza. She envisions it as a dynamic hub for gathering, learning, and growing both food and community connections.
“The church will be an event space, a gathering space – a center for cultivating, educating, and connecting,” she said. “A diverse array of offerings – including theater performances, live music, weddings, craft fairs, and a year-round Farmer’s Market – will not only activate the space, but also help diversify the organization’s revenue streams, reducing reliance on grants and federal funding.”
Continenza said Food Strong plans to restore the commercial kitchen and convert it into an educational space – an incubator for local food entrepreneurs – and a facility that can support on-site food service and different types of future business ventures.
All Are Welcome – Partnership as the Key to Success
Restoring and reinvigorating the property has taken the strength of 1,000 volunteers and several key partnerships, Continenza said. One of those partners is Mark Mazzone, president of M.C. Mazzone Companies, Greater Cleveland Construction.
Mazzone has followed Food Strong’s work in the community for years, and reached out to Continenza to see if they needed any volunteers. He was semi-retired and looking for a possible board seat or volunteer opportunity. Continenza said she jumped at the chance to engage his construction expertise to manage the renovation of the property.
Continenza wasn’t sure she was ready to take on such a big project but felt that the universe connected the two of them. She said after that connection, she knew it was meant to be. Mazzone initially wasn’t sure he had the capacity to manage the project, but Continenza’s dedication, passion and persistence brought him in.
Since then, Mazzone has volunteered his time and expertise to help guide the renovation of the historic farmhouse – connecting Food Strong with contractors, architects and serving as a trusted advisor. Now a board member, Mazzone is all in.
“Sara is on a mission, and she is going to accomplish that mission,” he said. “I’m too old to be in this business anymore, but I’m going to stick with her. There’s no question about that. I do believe she is going to pull this off.”
Food Strong’s new location presents a powerful opportunity for neighborhood collaboration. At one end of East 66th Street stands the Cleveland Foundation’s headquarters opened in 2023, and the MidTown Collaboration Center, which opened in 2025.
“We can be at the other end of the corridor offering a grassroots approach that will become a trusted entry point – not just for neighbors – but for institutional partners to connect and collaborate with community members,” Continenza said.
Continenza welcomes the opportunity for partnerships. “That’s really the message that I’m driving home: this is a truly collaborative effort, and we’re not going to be able to really move the needle unless we’re all working together.”
There are several ways to get involved as a Food Strong volunteer:
Coit Road Learning Garden – First Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Adopt a school program – September & October – reach out to Stephanie if you’d like to come in and volunteer at a school
Superior Farm Fixup – Tuesdays 10am – 5pm or Thursdays 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Additional dates for individuals or groups upon request. Email community@foodstrong.org.
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