A Night on the Farm to Remember

This past Thursday, friends old and new gathered at the farm to celebrate A Night on the Farm – our annual fundraising event. The evening was truly memorable marked by our picturesque urban farm setting, beautiful weather, and of course, great company. Walking up to the farm, guests were greeted by the sounds of jazz, played by the superb Elijah Jamal Balbed Quartet, and knew this would not be an ordinary night on the farm. Upon arrival, guests were treated to a farm tour led by one of our energetic youth interns. Many remarked that they had never seen the farm look more beautiful. It was then time to sample delicious seasonal offerings from the eight participating DC chefs. Featuring produce provided by the farm, the chef’s served delightful dishes such as Roasted Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Bisque, Swiss Chard with Pork Sausage, and Carrot Cake with Sweet Cream Icing. As the sun set, guests gathered to listen to inspiring speeches made by individuals representing Common Good City Farm’s past and present. Youth Intern Gessika Bridgeforth charmed the crowd with the story of how she first came to the farm with her mother and grandmother, was drawn back as a participant in the 2013 Summer Youth Program, again as a fall intern, and hopes to continue learning on the farm and sharing her knowledge with others. Former City Administrator Neil Albert introduced honoree Dana Bryson, but not before sharing what having a place like Common Good City Farm means to his family and to the city. Finally, founding Chairwoman Dana Bryson gave a moving, yet lighthearted, speech about her role in the journey to create a safe, productive, and community-minded space that now includes the Park at LeDroit, the LeDroit Park Community Garden, and Common Good City Farm. Current Board Chair, Stephanie Slewka, presented Dana with one engraved shovel for each of her two children as a thank you for her commitment to the organization. In addition to being a delightful evening, A Night on the Farm raised over $17,000 to support our programs. We would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to all of our guests and contributors for their support. We hope to see you all again next year! To see more pictures from the event, click here. Thank you to the following businesses and individuals for their contribution to our event:SponsorsFedBid, Inc.Relay FoodsWhole Foods P StreetFood2ArmadillosBanana Love MuffinsBig Bear CafeBlind Dog CafeGoose EatsMothershipMockingbird HillSmoke & BarrelMusicElijah Jamal Balbed Quartet Charles Fishman Jeff Anthony Raffle ContributorsBeau ThaiGreen Hat GinJohn & Kira’s Leafylead Lotions & PotionsLove & CarrotsMarcella KriebelRed HenStephanie SlewkaWhy Food WorksYoga DistrictPhotography Aaron AdaljaMary Noble OursSpecial ContributionsOld City Green Steven Salky & Gail IfshinUnion KitchenWe would like to thank the United States Department of Agriculture for their ongoing and generous support.A special thank you to Dana Bryson for her commitment to the LeDroit Park community.