Urban Tree Connection – Neighborhood Foods Farm, a non-profit organization in the Haddington neighborhood of West Philadelphia, PA. Neighborhood Foods Farm is located on a formerly abandoned 3⁄4 acre lot. Since 2010, they have grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs without harmful chemical inputs at little to no cost for community members. Their, $2,500 grant allowed them to start a seed-saving project that incorporates culturally-important seed varieties as well as build an education program for the local community.
“One of the most successful aspects of our seed-keeping project has been our community impact through our education programming. We mentored our 11 youth apprentices to care for each of the crops in the seed-keeping project, and they were tasked with learning about the cultural stories connected to each crop. Our young people led several seed-keeping demos, facilitating workshops with community gardeners on how to keep seeds. In total, we held three workshops and a culminating community event (Harvest Party) where over 50 community members learned about seed-keeping related to the five noted crops – and many participants went home with seeds to plant on their own!” ~ Noelle Warford, Director
