Building the Local Community

Today, if you visit the Kelly Miller Housing Complex, just across from the Farm, you'll see six new raised bed gardens, tended by residents. The project was funded by the Diverse City Fund and Citizen Effect, and constructed with help from Kelly Miller residents and volunteers, including students from nearby Gallaudet University. These beds are a big step toward increasing self-sufficiency and access to fresh healthy produce in our neighborhood. The gardeners are mostly seniors who have planted a variety of fruits and vegetables in the beds: tomatoes, collards, watermelon, carrots, kale, cucumbers, and green peppers. Residents are working together to keep the plots watered maintained, and excitement is high! Local resident Sandra Green regularly gets up at 5:00 am to water. "I used to have houseplants," she says, but she only keeps one now that she has a raised bed garden. In addition to vegetables, she plans to grow flowers. "It's like having a whole mini-farm!" she says. Saleemah Harris, another resident and gardener, has been working closely with the project and organizing the gardeners. There's still demand for more beds, and the youth in the neighborhood want some beds of their own. "Hopefully this will be a start on building more raised beds around the community," she says. With the new raised beds, this food desert now boasts 63 raised beds garden plots built by Common Good City Farm and managed by local community members. It's a great start! Please join us in this important, empowering work and donate today.