Share Love, doing the work to end the food apartheid

Did you know that 1 in 7 D.C residents are food insecure? 

According to a new report by the D.C. Office of Planning, food insecurity in the District almost doubled between February and May 2020. Children, the elderly, undocumented people and those experiencing homelessness were the most impacted.

In D.C, the majority of food deserts are found in Wards 7 and 8, home to a low-income predominantly Black population. Out of the 49 full service grocery stores, only three are located in Wards 7 and 8. Food deserts are linked to higher rates of unemployment, housing insecurity or homelessness, systemic issues that Black residents.

That’s why many food activists are calling it like it is: we are living in a food apartheid. At An Indivisible Art Collective we believe that food is a human right. Race or socioeconomic status should not be a deterrent to having access to quality nutritious food. That’s why we’ve joined the fight to end the food apartheid in D.C.

 
2020-11-12 13_17_31.757.JPG
 

What we’ve accomplished:

 

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we’ve committed to feeding and providing our neighbors with essential items (clothing and hygiene products). In 2020, we partnered with the D.C Fridge Collective and built a community fridge and pantry in our space Trinidad/ Ivy City. We’ve joined a network of mutual aid organizations to bring meals and other essential items to reach residents struggling with food insecurity.

IMG_1936.jpg
 

In 2020, we received a 10,000 grant from the D.C Advisory Neighborhood Commission to launch two community farms where we’ll host planting and farming workshops for kids and Black & POC owned farmer’s markets on the weekends. The two community sites will be located at Lewis Crowe Park and The Garden at Carver Terrace Apartments at I Street NE.  

 

Our 2021 Initiatives

 

  • Launch our Community Farm, in Lewis Crowe Park, and provide produce for Markets and Mutual Aid. They will serve as a foundation for our garden science classes, and will be open to all community members.

 

  • Launch weekend Black & Brown Farmer’s Markets, offering a platform for Black and Brown Farmer’s, Artisans and produce vendors committed to building sustainability within Ward 5 and surrounding D.C neighborhoods.

 

  • Raise $25,000 to fund our Magic Food Truck Initiative. With this project we plan to:

  1. Provide healthy lunch alternatives from D.C students through our partnership with Serve Your City D.C

  2. Create a weekly lunch box subscription service providing customers with nutritious lunches with locally sourced produce 

  3. And for every subscription sold, we’ll donate a week of lunch boxes to a D.C student in need.