Columbia Heights Green Crucial To Feeding DC’s Food Insecure During Pandemic

Job loss and economic devastation due to the COVID-19 pandemic have caused unprecedented levels of food insecurity right here in the DC area.

Local non-profit agencies, like Washington Parks and People, have been working overtime to feed those in need. Columbia Heights Green, one of their urban community farms located in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, usually donates between 20 and 50 percent of its annual crop yield to local DC charities but decided to donate most of its harvest, around 30 pounds of food per week, to its non-profit partners Martha’s Table and Miriam’s Kitchen.

Martha’s Table and Miriam’s Kitchen are two of the main agencies feeding the area’s food-insecure residents at this time. Dr. Kate Tully, professor of Agroecology at the University of Maryland and the Farm Manager of Columbia Heights Green, said of the current mission, “I can’t think of a more fulfilling quarantine project – to grow a bunch of food and feed your friends and neighbors.”

Opening and establishing Columbia Heights Green in September 2010 took a massive effort made by city agencies, the DC Council, and members of the community—many of them donating their time as attorneys, local designers, and engineers. They sought to transform a site in the neighborhood from being “home to dilapidated garages and a magnet for illegal dumping of garbage, truckloads of rubble, and abandoned vehicle” to a community green area.

Columbia Heights Green, nearly a decade old now, is run by Washington Parks and People, DC’s alliance for park-based community health, and community volunteers. The farm has become a model of how urban farming can positively transform troubled neighborhood spaces while giving back to residents.  

Dr. Tully and several fellow University of Maryland researchers recently determined that the produce grown at urban farms, specifically at Columbia Heights Green, can help provide nutrition for the food-insecure individuals who rely on the farm and often face cost and availability barriers to nutritious foods. The study showed that the farm can provide a great deal of vitamins A and C, as well as iron, through its donations of root vegetables, leafy greens, broccoli, carrots, butternut squash, and more.

Last year, like it does in more “normal” times, Columbia Heights Green produced more than 700 pounds of produce, much of it going to Martha’s Table and Miriam’s Kitchen. Washington Parks and People also provides job training programs, educational events for the community, and occasional concerts. New additions to the farm for the 2019-20 season included a new compost system, pavilion and kitchen area for workshops and cleaning produce, new berry beds, and a covered stage. COVID-19 precautions and best practices are being strongly adhered to on the farm. 

Learn more about Columbia Heights Green by watching the video below!