The last three months have been a whirlwind of activity as we’ve transformed four classroom instruction gardens at Hoffman-Boston Elementary, Wakefield High School, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and Tuckahoe Elementary into scalable ‘urban farm’ sites to support our community’s food insecure neighbors. To date, over 600 pounds of fresh produce (as of August 19) from the Victory Garden sites have been distributed to food pantries throughout the County. However, COVID-19’s far-reaching economic impacts will require a continued response over the next 12-18 months. Our Victory Gardens could not have come online quickly enough to support this unprecedented demand. Most importantly, these sites are strategically located adjacent to the prioritized neighborhoods in need, which allows the harvests to stay within the communities who need it most. Over 70 volunteers and several Master Gardeners are working in the gardens alongside the four Garden Coordinators. Arlington Cooperative Extension is providing on-site and virtual technical support for the gardens. We thank the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families’ (APCYF) Healthy Community Action Team (HCAT) for its generous financial support, and thank several local businesses, groups and individuals for in kind donations.
In the news…
ArlNow.com (August 12, 2020): “School Victory Gardens Used to Grow Food for Local Pantries”
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