DC Food For All » Organizations

Over a year later, working towards a Food Policy Council

Joni Podschun — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:38:59 +0000

[Cross-posted on the Bread for the City blog]

This past week Bread for the City was awarded a grant from Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States for the DC Food System Organizing Workgroup. This grant will provide the resources and support needed to build upon the almost a year and a half of work by a group of advocates, activists, and service providers, including several Bread for the City staff. (It also means we’re hiring!) This group convened to investigate ways to address food insecurity and injustice and lay the foundation for a food policy council in DC. We have a vision of a nourishing community in which all Washington, D.C. residents can enjoy a nutritious, safe, and culturally appropriate diet provided by a local sustainable food system that fosters health, equity, interdependence, and self-reliance.

To achieve this vision, the group looked to examples such as Detroit’s Food Policy Council that have worked to engage the community of stakeholders and activists already working to better their food system. We believe that policy-makers, non-profit service providers, and other sectors of the food system must be equal partners with grassroots leaders in the effort to re-imagine a nourished DC. It is only through grassroots organizing paired with our institutional collaboration across the food system that we can break down structural injustices, create healthy and sustainable alternatives, and become partners with city leaders in formulating solutions.

Over the past year or so, over 50 individuals and more than 30 organizations have become part of the core group that has been meeting monthly to work towards this vision. The actions taken have fallen primarily under four categories: research, communications, community participation, and clarifying our mission.

One of the first steps was to do our research — to assess what information is already out there and what work is already being done. The group looked into the District government’s fragmented approach and explored structures of food policy councils. The DC Food Finder was updated and information was compiled about what is happening and what has yet to happen. A project to create introductions to key food policies in DC was started, and should be up online soon.

Our primary method of gathering input and engaging the community has been through “community brainstorms.” The idea was born out of the recognition that we need to be hearing from individuals and communities who are deeply invested in the fixing of our food system, but may not be able to participate due to disparities in resources and time constraints. To date, eight sessions have been held at ROC-DC, Rooting DC, Capital Area Food Bank, Farmers Market Collaborative, ONE DC and the People’s Co-Op.

A lot has been accomplished since we first gathered around the table and began these discussions of a fair and just food system for the nation’s capital. Moving forward in this new year, we will hold more community brainstorms, further strengthen our relationships, and establishing a web presence to connect with more people and increase transparency. (A website housed within dcfoodforall.com will be coming soon.)

As we move forward with our mission to transform the DC food system, we would love your involvement. Be a part of the DC’s food revolution! Contribute by telling your story, volunteering at a community brainstorm session, or sharing information with your neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends. Learn about these and other opportunities to take action for food justice through the DC Food For All Google Group. And please take a moment to fill out this online form to let us know how you would like to be involved: http://goo.gl/AEDkJ.

Contact Angie Stackhouse, Food System Organizer, with any questions or for more information. You can reach her at astackhouse(at)breadforthecity.org or 202-480-8916.

Finally, a big thank-you to everyone else involved in the project thus far — Accokeek Foundation,Capital Area Food Bank, Center for Social Science Research at George Mason University, Common Good City Farm, DC Hunger Solutions, DC Central Kitchen, DC Food Justice Coalition, Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Collaborative, Ecolocity, Groundwork Anacostia, Field to Fork Network, DC Farm to School Network, Healthy Solutions, Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association Health Disparities Committee, Neighborhood Farm Initiative, ONE DC, SHARE Food Network, Summit Health Institute for Research and Education (SHIRE), and Restaurant Opportunities Center DC.

Food Forests and Renewable Power – A Great Combination

shannonbshea — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:01:57 +0000

Imagine a forest that is open to all, providing food and sanctuary, right in the middle of Washington. While it might sound like a fairy tale, Ecolocity D.C. is developing a miniature version in the Pleasant Plains neighborhood and hopes to expand this vision throughout the city. While the sun powers the growth of the plants, we hope that wind can power the growth of the project. Through Clean Currents’ Green Neighborhood Challenge, anyone can financially support us for free just by signing up for wind power, and mentioning Ecolocity in the “How did you hear about us?” box. 

Although a “food forest” may sound fanciful, its origins and uses are very much down-to-earth. Historically, a number of societies have gathered and cultivated food in wooded areas. Locally, variations on this practice were going on as recently as 50 years ago. In my historic Rockville neighborhood, my neighbor said that as a child, she remembers picking cherries and apples freely off of the trees that everyone had in their yards.

Rather than random planting, modern-day forest gardening purposely mimics natural processes. By strategically gathering together diverse plants, such as fruit and nut trees, medicinal herbs, and mushrooms, forest gardeners develop small functioning ecosystems. With a wealth of hardy perennial plants, forest gardens require little in terms of time or financial resources after they are initially established.

 Through a pilot at the Emergence Community Arts Collective, one area has already begun its transformation. With support from a Washington Parks and People grant, Ecolocity has prepared sidewalk beds for planting and plans on revitalizing the yard east of the main building. With poor soil, small dimensions, steep slopes, and inconsistent sunlight, these spaces illustrate the challenges of urban agriculture. By establishing the forest here, we hope to illustrate to others how they too can use these techniques in their own yards and community gardens. Once the pilot is complete, we hope to expand the project further to bring these mini-ecosystems into private lots. In particular, Ecolocity is interested in helping lower-income people grow their own food independently, without needing artificial inputs or other significant resources.

In addition to the grant, Ecolocity is working to push this project forward through a partnership with local business Clean Currents. A wind and solar power supplier for D.C. and Maryland, Clean Currents allows businesses and residents to easily purchase renewable electricity. Consumers can choose to support either local wind farms or those further away, as well as pick whether to sign up on a fixed rate for one year or two. As a Clean Currents customer myself, I can testify that my energy bill has gone up a miniscule amount, if at all.

Best of all, for each person who signs up for Clean Currents and mentions Ecolocity D.C. while doing so, Ecolocity receives $25 ($50 in the month of November)! So people can help build both our renewable energy and agricultural resources. For groups who are interested in getting in on this green deal, I welcome you to join us in the Green Neighborhood Challenge. Hope to see you there!

Growing Gardeners with Rooftop Workshops

Jeffrey Wankel — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:00:51 +0000

We’re not just growing vegetables on our rooftops here at Bread for the City. We’re growing gardeners.

Some of our clients have never really seen a garden before, let alone worked in one themselves. Many people, however, have fond memories of gardening in their youth (as part of family and community traditions), but no longer have access to green space these days. For all, our rooftop gardens are an opportunity to learn about food at its source, and to develop some capacity for growing it ourselves.

So in addition to our daily open hours (Monday through Thursday, 9-11am), we’re also conducting gardening workshops to learn and practice together. In these workshops, a mix of staff, volunteers and clients learn how to make their own containers, how to plant them, and facts about different herbs. We learn the science behind the plants and then we our hands dirty. Participants also enjoy lunch prepared with fresh ingredients grown right there in the garden. At the end of the workshops, clients receive both produce and potted plants to take home for their own budding gardens!

Brenden Armstrong, a local professional horticulturist, has been joining us to share best practices and ideas for how to grow vegetables and herbs in containers. Here’s what Brenden says about the class:

During the first class clients had the opportunity to plant basil, tomato, and pepper plants. For the second class they planted more herbs including thyme, oregano, lavender, and mint.

All of these plants were chosen because they are easy to grow both within and outside of the home, and they also provide good yields. Most herbs will supply plenty throughout the year when harvested correctly; basil, for instance, can be harvested every few weeks. Tomatoes and peppers can also be grown easily and grow enough that a couple of plants will suffice for each person in the household.

Throughout the workshops we emphasized the opportunities to use materials around clients’ homes to reduce the costs of gardening. We talked about how you can make everyday items such as yogurt cups and plastic juice jugs into containers for growing vegetables and herbs.

Those who came to the workshops varied in their interests and backgrounds. Some participants had a lot of experience, and were even able to share their own knowledge; and for others this was their first time working with plants. Students caught on very quickly to what was taught and everyone contributed their thoughts to the class. Someone even called it “mind-opening.” People were especially pleased to be able to pot up their own plants and take them home.

Now, since these workshops were held late in the season, neither the clients nor I had a chance to start the plants from seed. (Starting plants from seed saves a lot of money and also allows you to choose from many more varieties than you can buy in the store.) So I made sure to choose seedlings that will nevertheless produce by the end of this season. This would allow participants to feel successful and make them more confident to continue gardening.

This is all still an experiment. So far we’ve received feedback from our clients on what kinds of plants we should grow, and what kinds of workshops we should be organizing. Ultimately, we hope to see clients take a leading role in all aspects of the garden.

Our workshops are developing into a real regular schedule, with some during the week and others on weekends (often with expert instruction by OLD CITY Green – stay tuned for another post on them). You can see the calendar here.

Meanwhile, you can feel free to come by to check out our garden even without a workshop! Ask the front desk if you’re in our building, or contact Jeff Wankel at (651) 325-8918 or jwankel@breadforthecity.org with any questions. And, of course, these programs are all made possible by your support. Please help this Community Supported Agriculture initiative by making a donation (of cash or soil!) today.

Brainfood Community MVPs

Carina Gervacio — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:00:21 +0000

Food advocates these days don’t have it easy. There’s plenty written on the ways that poverty, access, and obesity influence what we eat — now fair food activists are exploring what resources, approaches, and strategies are successfully changing how we eat. Just last month, a UNC-based study found that simply improving access to supermarkets in low-income neighborhoods wasn’t enough to impact rates of fruit and vegetable consumption. Mark Bittman, the Times’ resident food writer-turned-op-ed columnist, recently wondered if taxing unhealthy foods and subsidizing fresh produce could change what he calls the Standard American Diet. And nutrition policy guru, Marion Nestle asserts that it’s not all about cold, hard cash: many individuals who can afford fresh food may still lack the time or the skill base to utilize fresh ingredients.

While the debate continues on how to successfully navigate the modern food system and encourage healthier eating habits, one theme is clear: systemic change starts at the individual level, and changing individual behaviors necessitates food education opportunities that are low-cost and accessible to traditionally underserved communities.

That’s why Brainfood will be launching Brainfood Community MVPs, a new youth-led teaching initiative, this fall. We’ll be heading out of the kitchen and into the community as a fully mobile teaching unit, bringing recipes for healthy alternatives, working with local farms and gardens, and spreading the good news that healthy cooking ain’t all that bad after all.

What is Community MVPs?

The inspiration for Community MVPs came directly from the youth population that Brainfood has served for over 10 years.

In participant focus groups, one clear theme emerged: after building cooking and leadership skills at Brainfood, program graduates want to use their skills to serve the community. We were inspired, though not surprised, that our youth want to help fill the need for more hands-on, culturally appropriate food education resources in the District.

Community MVPs is a program that gives Brainfood graduates the opportunity to take their cooking and leadership skills out of the kitchen and into the community. This 9-month program teaches returning Brainfood students how to develop and facilitate hands-on workshops on healthy cooking. During the fall participants will design workshops and refine their teaching techniques. In the spring, participants will identify community groups who are in need of food education resources and schedule times to deliver their workshops at on and off-site locations. Participants will also be paid for their work as community teachers.

Why this program?
In focus groups conducted with current and past participants we discovered that program graduates wanted to use their cooking skills to serve the community. We were inspired, though not surprised, that our youth are ready to help build a support system in DC that empowers residents to make healthier food choices.

Community MVPs is also a continuation of Brainfood’s commitment to meeting people where they are. Building a healthier DC will take more than just having great spaces for urban gardens and farmers markets, or having businesses open retail locations in more neighborhoods. We believe that community based outreach, free or low-cost food education resources, and the creation of safe and welcoming spaces are necessary to change the way that people eat, cook, and buy their food. We also believe that Community MVPs will exemplify how a diverse group of stakeholders can leverage local food and resources to positively impact the community.

How can Community MVPs help my group or organization?
In Spring 2012, our inaugural class of Community MVPs will be offering hands-on cooking workshops on healthy cooking to community groups. Have our trained core of student teachers teach a healthy cooking workshop at your organization’s site, or schedule a time to bring a group to our kitchen. Our student teachers are DC teens who are committed to building skills and empowering the community to make fresher, healthier food.

Wanna support our inaugural class of Brainfood Community MVPs? We’re currently looking for committed, creative individuals to coach our youth teachers to success. Check our our website or email Carina Gervacio (carina@brain-food.org) for more info.

Strawberries & Salad Greens 2011

Kate Sims — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:39:39 +0000

A Spring Harvest Celebration in D.C. Schools

“Salad greens! Salad greens!” was the surprising, yet endearing chant heard loud and clear in the cafeteria of Bancroft Elementary of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood at DC Farm to School Network’s 2^nd annual Strawberries & Salad Greens event on May 25, 2011.

Strawberries and salad greens from farms of the mid-Atlantic region were incorporated into the lunch menufor the day in all 123 DCPS elementary, middle, high schools and educational campuses. Other schools in the city to participate included Friendship Public Charter Schools, CentroNia/D.C. Bilingual PCS, E.W. Stokes PCS, Cesar Chavez PCS (all campuses), Yu Ying PCS, Washington Jesuit Academy, Next Step Public Charter School, and The SEED School.

33 cafeterias across the city also featured a “Where Food Comes From” table. Educational materials provided for those tables included a map and pictures of the farmers who harvested the plants, packets of seeds to grow the plants, and a strawberry and salad green plant to discuss with the kids the process of how part of their lunch was planted, grown, and then harvested.

Festive stickers with the Strawberries & Salad Greens logo were also provided to all students, which they wore proudly on shirts, hands, and even foreheads, as they munched and commented on the special additions to their school lunch: How does it taste? Sweet! Do you know where strawberries come from? The farm! A garden! What do you think these seeds need to grow? Water! Sun! Love! What do you eat strawberries in? Smoothies! Cake! Salad!

Strawberries & Salad Greens is just one example of how DC Farm to School Network is helping introduce fresh produce to kids and create an interest in tasting and learning about where nutritious food comes from.

For more information on upcoming DC Farm to School Network events, please visit www.dcfarmtoschool.org

Barn Dancin’ for Beet Street Garden

Joni Podschun — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 02:00:30 +0000

House party/barn dance/potluck to celebrate the first year of Beet Street Gardens and donate to raise a (small) barn for the garden at Bruce House, a program of Sasha Bruce Youthworks! The actual (quite small) barn raising (definition here) will be raised by volunteers in the spring, just before the planting season.

The party is Saturday, December 11th at 1412 Parkwood Pl NW. Potluck dinner at 7:00. Contra, two-step, square dancing, fire pit, and good company ’till late.

Planting Radishes at Bruce House

$10 suggested donation. No one turned away. All proceeds go to Beet Street.

There will be a fire pit on the porch, a keg of beer, and a pot of mulled wine. We will have Gabe Popkin calling dances and old timey tunes from local musicians.

All are welcome. RSVP here.

Healthy Holiday Helpings

Sharon Gruber — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:03:22 +0000

[Cross-posted from Beyond Bread.]

Most of the food in Bread for the City’s pantry is purchased directly by us from the Capital Area Food Bank – putting your donated dollars to great bulk-scale use. (And it’s not too early to give to our Holiday Helpings campaign, which starts next week!)

We also receive private donations of food, through organized food drives and individuals’ pantry-purging — especially during the holiday season.

We truly value the generosity of our donors. Yet because we also highly value the health of our clients, we hope to channel the energy and commitment of our donors to ensure that clients receive foods that best support their health.

This year we want to remind our community that not all foodstuffs are nourishing – and there are some that we simply cannot accept.

Research shows that there is a much higher incidence of diabetes and heart disease among populations that include our clients . These diseases are largely preventable through lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. By contributing foods that do not contribute to these diseases, donors can help Bread for the City be a part of the solution to this community health crisis.

With this in mind, we respectfully share our updated nutrition guidelines for donations.

Please keep in mind that we cannot accept the following:
• canned or boxed soups that are not labeled low-fat, low-sodium
• ramen noodles
• pastry items, candy, other sweet snacks (cookies, Jell-o)
• drinks that are highly sweetened or artificially sweetened (sweetened fruit juice, soda, sports drinks, sweet tea)
• cake and brownie mixes
• boxed macaroni and cheese

Instead we encourage:

• canned vegetables and beans that are labeled low-sodium or no salt added
• olive oil
• dry beans
• fruit canned in natural juices
• canned salmon, tuna, sardines, or chicken, especially unsalted and packed in water
• 100% pure juice
• whole grain flour and cereal that is whole grain, not highly sweetened (plain oatmeal, original Cheerios)

And we discourage but will accept:
• canned vegetables and beans that are not labeled low-sodium or unsalted
• fruit canned in light or heavy syrup
• sweetened cereal (Raisin Bran, Honey Nut Cheerios)

Thank you for joining us in this broad effort to improve the health of our community! To sign up to run a Holiday Helpings drive in your workplace or community, please contact Nathan LaBorie at nlaborie@breadforthecity.org or 202.386.7611.

Fighting Food Deserts in Baltimore

Kristen Kozlowski — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:15:51 +0000

“We are surrounded by food deserts,” states Laura Fox, the Program Coordinator for Baltimore’s Virtual Supermarket Program. We are at the Sustainable Food Block Party at Bread for the City, organized by the Hip Hop Caucus, as part of 350.org’s 10-10-10 Day of Action. A map chalked on the wall behind us illustrates our purpose for gathering today: it shows the areas of DC which are classified as food deserts.

Laura is representing Baltimarket, an innovative social enterprise designed to combat food deserts that is run by the Baltimore City Health Department. Baltimarket offers an online grocery ordering system through which residents of low-income neighborhoods in Baltimore can purchase food, which is then delivered the next day to one of two library sites. Participants can pay for their groceries using cash, credit, debit, or food stamps, and they only pay for the food they order; delivery to the library is free. In the half a year that they have been open, they have had 50 customers, 200 separate orders, and around $7,000 worth of groceries purchased.

Baltimarket is a truly local organization on all levels, from web design done by students at the Maryland Institute College of Art to their grocery provider (a local grocer, Santoni’s Supermarket, which has served the people of Baltimore since 1930). Baltimarket has targeted neighborhoods with a large concentration of corner stores and fast food outlets, both of which provide unhealthy foods that have led to high rates of diabetes, heart disease, and strokes in these neighborhoods. Its first two libraries are in neighborhoods that are more than a mile away from any full-service grocery stores.

The use of libraries as sites of grocery distribution is a tactical strike against food deserts in other ways, as well. As Laura explains, “Baltimore is a city of neighborhoods, and in Baltimore there are so many wonderful libraries, and these libraries happen to be centrally located within many of the neighborhoods. The two neighborhoods we have the VSP in are low-income neighborhoods.” By working with infrastructure and institutions which already exist in low-income communities, Baltimarket engages directly with residents whose use of the service allows them to save the valuable time and money that they would otherwise have expended traveling to grocery stores via pubic transportation or taxi.

While Baltimarket does not put limits on the types of foods that can be purchased, they do try to provide incentives for people to make healthy choices with their purchasing and eating habits. For the first and fourth orders that a person makes through the program, they get $10 off the price of healthy foods (with the health department providing a detailed list from which to choose these products.) Additionally, the health department gives cooking demonstrations and hands out healthy recipe books at the libraries during the hours when food orders are being taken.

Unfortunately, the future of Baltimarket is uncertain. The money they initially received from the federal government is on the verge of running out, and they are in the process of applying for grants in order to keep the program open. “This program is wonderful!” Laura exclaims, but if they do not find new sources of funding in the next 60 days the City of Baltimore will not be able to afford to maintain the program.

As people in cities all over the country are searching for solutions to the food desert crisis, programs like Baltimarket suggest that such solutions can be both common-sense and innovative, making a huge difference to a neighborhood’s ability to support healthy residents. But it takes a lot of drive and capital to start a new business during a recession, especially one that targets low-income neighborhoods. The City of Baltimore should be applauded for trying something new to address the problem of food deserts, and hopefully, with hard work, institutional and community support, and some luck, the program will find success.

USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon to appear at Crossroads Farmers Market

Rhea Kennedy — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 22:03:33 +0000

The Crossroads Farmers Market has always garnered attention – from the local and federal governments and from the media. Its Fresh Checks program and overall philosophy just seem to pull them.

Now, USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon has requested a visit. Concannon, who serves as secretary of food, nutrition, and consumer services, will be at the market this Wednesday, October 13, from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. Gus Schumacher, chairman of the Wholesome Wave Foundation, which helps support Fresh Checks and outreach, will also appear. The main event is the Nutrition Incentive and SNAP Outreach Plan demonstration. The special guests will make public comments at 3:25 p.m.

Contact crossroadsmarket at gmail.com if you’re interested in attending. Read on for more information from the press release — and for pictures.

From the official press release:

Crossroads Farmers Market Nutrition Incentive and SNAP Outreach Plan Demonstration

October 13, 2010

2:45 – 3:45

Crossroads Farmers Market

7676 New Hampshire Avenue

Takoma Park, MD 20912

We are very pleased to formally invite you to join USDA Undersecretary Kevin Concannon and Wholesome Wave Chairman Gus Schumacher in attending our Nutrition Incentive and SNAP Outreach Plan Demonstration on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 from 2:45 – 3:45 PM. We will be most honored if you could attend.

During your visit, our staff will be implementing its successful “Fresh Checks” program. This season, over $24,000 in Fresh Checks has been distributed as of October 2010. Over 1000 low-income families have attended the market and benefited from our “nutrition incentive” programs. The “Fresh Checks” program matches SNAP, WIC Cash Value Fruit and Vegetable Vouchers, and WIC and Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program funding up to $8 per market day when spent at our Crossroads Farmers Market.

Crossroads staff will also be implementing their extremely successful SNAP Outreach program. This SNAP outreach program was recently included in the Maryland State SNAP Outreach Plan. The inclusion, along with $5000 in matching funding from Wholesome Wave, has enabled us to hire Rosa Sanchez, a community member, to perform SNAP Outreach each market day and throughout the week at other community events. From June 9, 2010 to September 16, 2010, Rosa has performed outreach to 941 individuals, conducted 460 pre-screenings, and completed 103 SNAP applications, many of whom are returning to Crossroads to benefit from “Fresh Checks” for local healthy produce.

We would be most pleased if you would join us for the following agenda:

2:45-3:00pm: Informal introductions of Undersecretary Concannon by Gus Schumacher, Michelle Dudley, and Michele Levy for Crossroads staff, vendors, and board members, and visiting Maryland Department of Agriculture, regional, state and local SNAP and WIC officials.

3:00 – 3:25pm:Review of “Fresh Checks” and SNAP Outreach program in operation

3:25- 3:45pm: Public comments by Secretary Concannon, Gus Schumacher, and Maryland Department of Agriculture and Crossroads Staff. This will include a celebration of the market’s successful season and the announcement of the inclusion of Crossroads in the Maryland SNAP Outreach Plan.

Please let us know if you will be able to attend this event. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Michele Levy at 301.356.1020 or crossroadsmarket at gmail.com.

Photos, from top: USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon (USDA.gov); Crossroads staff pose at the welcome table of the market (by the author); Rosa Sanchez runs the SNAP outreach booth at the market and a sign advertises the outreach in English and Spanish (courtesy of Crossroads).

A Healthy Rooftop: Growing our own Food for the City

Erin Garnaas-Holmes — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:12:14 +0000

[Cross-posted from Beyond Bread.]

Bread for the City’s new and upcoming Northwest Center Expansion is chock-full of exciting upgrades for our services, but one thing about which I am personally the most excited is our upcoming Green Roof, which will be built right on the top of our new building!

Green roofs are roofs that are covered with a layer of soil and some kind of plant life. Not only do they look cool, but they also bring all kinds of environmental and financial benefits. The soil and roots absorb rainwater that would otherwise run off the roof, carrying sediment and junk into the city’s already overloaded stormwater and sewage systems. The plants on the roof absorb sunlight, and the soil insulates the building, which reduces heating and cooling costs and extends the lifespan of the roof. The garden also reflects less sunlight back into the atmosphere than a normal roof, which reduces our input to the urban heat island effect.

I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet: Bread for the City’s new green roof will include a vegetable garden! Original plans for the roof included just sedums (sturdy, low-growth plants), but as the expansion moved ahead alongside our Nutrition Initiative, we started thinking about whether we could grow edible things. Upon consultation with DC Greenworks, we realized that our building’s plans could support the additional weight of a vegetable garden, and the prospect of growing food on top of a food pantry was just too enticing to pass up.

So! Bread for the City is about to begin construction on the first large-scale roof top agriculture project (that we know of) in the DC region.

The 3,500 square foot green roof will feature between 40 and 60 raised beds growing a seasonal variety of fruits and vegetables. The plants will be anchored in an 8 inch soil base, specially blended for the elevated environment, atop layers of drainage, protection, and filter fabrics. A team of volunteers and green roof specialists will tend to the crops, ensuring a healthy yield for Bread for the City’s constituents.

Check out more pictures of the construction progress here!

While the volume of food harvested from this “intensive” rooftop will not compare to the thousands of pounds of produce we acquire through our gleaning program, we expect that this garden will serve its own unique purpose.

We’ll quote Sherita Evans, talking about our Southeast Center’s rooftop container garden: “We lack these kinds of green spaces and educational places here in the community. We’re hungry down here– not just for food but for nourishment of the mind and the spirit. And here at Bread for the City, we’re not just feeding people’s bodies–we feed souls.”

We know that addressing the complex needs of our community will require a multifaceted, holistic approach, and this is another opportunity to build a vision of a city in which all people have access to the resources and space they need to live lives of dignity and respect.

We will not just be planting a garden — we will also be using the space to teach workshops on nutrition, growing one’s own food, and maybe even basic botany. In partnership with City Blossoms (which operates the Marion Street Garden directly behind Bread for the City), DC Greenworks and other organizations, we will invite volunteers, clients and community members to join us on our roof to help maintain it and to learn about growing vegetables.

And we need your help to make this rooftop garden a reality. DC Greenworks estimates that the garden will cost $50,000 to build, and $15,000 a year to maintain — not cheap, but we belive it will be worthwhile for a space with such transformative potential.

Will you help us raise our first installment of funding by October 10, 2010? On that day, we’ll be hosting a massive block party to celebrate sustainable community projects like these. So in the spirit of 10.10.10, we want to raise: one hundred donations of ten dollars each, ten donations of one hundred dollars each, and one donation of ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Will you help? Join us today by giving to:

http://www.breadforthecity.org/RooftopGarden