Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden located in Southwest Philadelphia, PA, is a 4-acre community-led, African-focused urban farm that grows and distributes 15,000 pounds of produce each year. The pandemic underscored the essential nature of the farm and the growing need for continued efforts to support neighborhood food sovereignty, invest in local youth and families, and ensure safe outdoor space for all. They received a $5,000 grant to enhance their pollinator plantings, beehive maintenance, and related youth educational programming.
Sankofa was able to complete activities according to their original timeline and faced no major challenges in completing their projects, said Caroline Winschel, Director of Development and Communications.
The farm achieved the following goals of their grant:
- Maintained 9 beehives in the upper meadow in partnership with PA Beekeepers’ Association
- Increased pollinator-friendly plant collection by 25 species
- Provided hands-on education to 4,000 local school children
- Hosted 2,000 attendees for Honey Fest
- Grew and distributed 60,000 vegetable starts and seedlings to 130 local community gardeners
- Provided 15,000 pounds of food to the community
