Reservoir Community Farm is an urban farm in the heart of Bridgeport, CT, one of America’s largest food deserts. On the night of March 16th, the community building at Reservoir Community Farm burned to the ground. Now, they need help to rebuild this important community resource.
For a little background information about Reservoir Farm.
Started three years ago entirely by volunteers, the farm has blossomed into a community space for the neighborhood. On the farm, there are 40 community garden plots where families grow their own food. The farm also has production plots and sells produce to the public school system, at a farm stand, and through a Community Supported Agriculture program.
The farm hosts educational workshops for schoolchildren across the city, teaching about farming, nutrition, and sustainability. Reservoir Community Farm is also a significant source of fresh produce for the Bridgeport Nutrition Center, which serves the free and reduced lunch program in Bridgeport’s Public Schools.
The community building, known as The Shed, played host to field trips for 24 schools in the city. The building was home to teaching supplies vital for the operation of these field trips. In addition to acting as the central meeting area for the farm and community members, the building also housed the bathroom, washroom and produce refrigerator. They have been able to continue growing vegetables with the limited resources that escaped the flames, but as peak season approaches, they are struggling to maintain the educational support they pride themselves in providing to the community. Thus, to continue moving forward and upward, they need to raise funds.
The Fairfield County Community Foundation will match ever dollar raised in the wake of the fire. This means for every dollar you donate, that will actually be raising two for Reservoir Community Farm! If they reach their goal of $25,000, they will have $50,000 not only to rebuild the community space, but also continue to host workshops and field days, advance the youth empowerment program through farm-based skill-building internships, and produce hundreds of pounds of fresh vegetables for Bridgeport Public School cafeterias every year.
Reservoir Farm is part of the Green Village Initiative, who’s mission is to create social, economic, and environmental change through a unified network of urban farms, community, and school gardens.
For more info or to donate, visit ReservoirFarm.org and gogvi.org.
And, if you can’t donate money, you can still help by spreading the word!