Youth Urban Farm Program

It started on a lovely Spring Sunday. I was kneeling and de weeding our plants. We had moved to the rough side of Maryland and a street known for drugs and prostitution, so I'm always alert. Then a Tall Husky Man walked toward me pointing above my head. He looked serious, angry. When he pointed I jumped up and looked around. Only then did I notice the little girl next to him with a lavender dress and light purple ribbons in her neatly done pigtails. He said, "Look princess! Isn't that a beautiful flower! It's your favorite color purple!" By this point his face was beaming with a smile from ear to ear. She looked happy and inquisitive as most 4 year olds are, "It's pretty Daddy, what is it?" He stopped and said, "I don't know, I'll ask... Ma'am, what is this flower?"

I was shocked, saddened and happy to answer all at the same time, stuttering I replied, "It's an onion." Both of them shook their head at the same time in disagreement. So I kneeled down to the girl and said, "Want to see?" She nodded and I carefully dug around and pulled it so the flower and stem didn't break, I peeled a couple of layers and let them see it, smell it and look at the purple onion. The father and daughther thanked me but under his breath, he said, "I just never knew"

That moment stayed with me. It wasn't just about an onion, it's about connection, discovery, and the basic knowledge that everyone deserves. It’s why we started our Youth Urban Farm Program: to create spaces where kids and families in our community can learn, grow, and reconnect with where their food comes from and how things work.

This campaign will directly fund the program materials, tools and meals for our Youth Urban Farm Program we are launching next summer. Your support won't just help us plant seeds in the ground; it will help us plant seeds of curiosity, self-reliance, and hope. You can give a child the chance to be the one who knows, who teaches, and who grows.