Free-Range Food Funders: Pittsburgh Edition

The following is a blog post written by Senior Program Officer Tamela Luce, posted on LinkedIn. Photo by Tamela Luce.

We were told it was business casual, with an emphasis on casual since we were going to be walking around in dirt. Some picked their way through overgrown rows of kale and beans and rosemary while others went to take photos of the chickens. It was bizarre to be in this one-acre farm in the shadow of a hulking US Steel mill that was puffing out smoke only a few blocks away in this distressed community, but what better way to capture the essence of Pittsburgh?

It was a milkshake that first brought us PA food funders together last summer. Not the frozen treat. Milkshake is the resident pig of Greensgrow Urban Farm in the Richmond section of Philadelphia. Our inner children came out as we vied for Milkshake’s attention for a photo. Greensgrow was one of many stops on that visit, which also included policy discussions, networking and lots of good food.

From that successful visit, about 15 food funders from Philadelphia and the central part of the state, along with a few of our food-related nonprofits, spent the first three days of August in Pittsburgh for a reciprocal visit. I was honored to once again serve on the planning committee and we put together a densely packed agenda that emphasized the assets of Pittsburgh’s food system, including a lot of time spent in dirt.

The urban farm next to the steel mill is Braddock Farms, a project of Grow Pittsburgh which is working to teach people how to grow food and promote the benefits gardens bring to neighborhoods. And the borough of Braddock could use some benefits. Once a thriving steel town that boasted the first Carnegie library, it was decimated by the collapse of the industry in the 1980s. These days, the median household income of this mostly African American community is not much over $20,000 (census.gov). Unsurprisingly, Braddock is also classified as a food desert by the USDA.

The farm has been in operation for almost 10 years and includes two hoop houses (think greenhouse with plastic instead of glass) that extend the growing season. Twenty-five to 30 different crops are grown on the farm; no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers are used. In 2015, the farm yielded more than 10,000 pounds of produce. Three quarters of what is grown is sold at a nearby farmer’s market on a pay-what-you-want scale. SNAP is accepted. And the farm helps to train youth in farming and offers a few apprenticeships each year.

Braddock was one of many agricultural stops. We spent an afternoon 20 miles outside of Pittsburgh at Chatham University’s Eden Hall Farm, a 388-acre farm is home to the Falk School of Sustainability which offers graduate degrees onsite in sustainable agriculture and food systems, with plans to expand course offerings to undergrads. After a tour of the campus – its hoop houses, experimental garden, discussions of natural pest management strategies and samples of chocolate(!) – we were treated to an amazing dinner, with ingredients sourced from the campus. Talk about farm-to-table!

The following day we toured Miss Lucinda’s backyard garden in the historically black Pittsburgh neighborhood of Homewood. Like Braddock, Homewood has numerous challenges with some of the lowest income levels and highest crime rates in the city. In 2013, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens started Homegrown with a goal of building 100 raised-bed backyard vegetable gardens in Homewood to promote healthier food choices and build community. Three years later they have 120 gardens and intend to increase that to 210 by 2017. Homegrown staff and volunteers construct the bed, provide supplies and work with participants on plant selection. Technical assistance is provided for two years with opportunities for additional beds and compost containers for highly engaged gardeners, like Miss Lucinda who was getting her second bed installed during our visit. Embodying the spirit of Homegrown, Miss Lucinda told us she not only tends her beds, but takes care of those for two elderly neighbors.

But we didn’t stop at agriculture, urban or otherwise. Increasing food access in Pittsburgh was also on the table. With 40% of our food being wasted each year, there is much opportunity to reduce Pittsburgh’s 14% food insecurity rate. 412 Food Rescue works to bring recovered food to those in need, utilizing an app to link its 718 volunteers to opportunities to pick up food and deliver it to community organizations. Since its founding in March 2015, 412 Food Rescue has recovered 626,565 pounds of food from 133 food donors, translating into 481,828 meals at 153 recipient organizations.

[Philly is a bit behind the curve on food rescue, though July’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) provided a great opportunity to pilot Food Connect, which is being hailed as an “Uber for food recovery.” The app launched on July 15 with support from the city and a number of anti-hunger organizations. Through the end of the DNC, Food Connect collected over 11,000 pounds of food, meaning an additional 9,300 meals were served (Philly.com). The app’s creators plan to continue their efforts.]

Next up was The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, which provides food to more than 326,000 food insecure individuals via 400 member agencies (mostly food pantries) in 11 counties in western Pennsylvania. Beyond its traditional food bank services and programs, they have taken a leadership role by forming the Southwestern PA Food Security Partnership in 2010 to reduce hunger through community engagement, public policy advocacy, building collaboration and encouraging more efficient administration of services and resources. The Partnership works to increase SNAP enrollment, support school breakfast and summer feeding programs, and collaborating directly with clients to understand and better meet their needs beyond food.

Our final stop was Community Kitchen Pittsburgh where men and women recovering from addiction, struggling with behavioral health issues and/or reentering society after incarceration can learn culinary and employment skills to secure and maintain life-sustaining wages working in the food industry. The organization provides catering for a number of school districts and private events and sells prepared, packaged food to certain retail outlets, with the revenue going support its training programs.

There were other stops and activities on this visit, which – like the previous year in Philadelphia – included policy discussions, networking and lots of good food. But perhaps most valuable were the relationships that were established and strengthened. Because we’re already talking about where in the state we’re meeting up next year.

A huge thanks to Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, Grantmakers of Western PA and my colleagues on the planning committee for putting together a stellar trip of learning and connection.