The first crop of cool season veggies is cut and packed for its destination : Shepherd ’ s Table in Silver Spring , which serves brunch and dinner every day to people experiencing food insecurity .
Gardening Grant Program Awardees
n AfriThrive n The Audubon Naturalist Society n Community Support Services n HarvestShare / Rainbow Community Development Center n IMPACT Silver Spring n Islamic Society of the Washington Area n Kunzang Palyul Choling n The Living Legends for Service to Humanity n The Menare Foundation n Rockville Seniors n Shepherd ’ s Table n Vietnamese American Services
Photo : wib middleon
enough of those tools to go around .”
To date , more than 50 people — ranging in age from seven to 70- plus , from a wide variety of backgrounds — have joined the volunteer work days . While they rake or hoe or plant , they share their lived experiences with one another and tell stories about their own experiences growing and eating food , many from back home in other countries . They then take the gardening skills they learn and share back to their communities . Already , KPC participants are reporting that they are personally able to make donations of food from home gardens to local food assistance networks .
Seesman expresses gratitude for the Gardening Grant Program funding , as well as the new connections the partnership with the Food
Council has helped foster . One such connection , with the neighboring organization Community FarmShare led by Jennifer Freeman , has been especially beneficial .
Through collaborating and sharing best practices with Freeman , Seesman was able to refine elements of their growing infrastructure , such as using grow towers for their potatoes . Seesman shares , “ The Food Council is connecting us further and deeper in our community . We have already formed new connections through participating with the Food Council and that is really the greatest benefit , working together . It takes a village .”
Massa Cressall is the Deputy Director of the Montgomery County Food Council , a nonprofit that cultivates a more resilient , sustainable , and equitable local food system . As Deputy Director , Massa manages the Food Council ’ s grant activities and oversees aspects of the organization ’ s administration , human resources and financial management .
Photo : paul white