Community

Food Focused Program Narrows Gap

THE AFRO — Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR) and Seeds of Change are partnering up to create a “food-focused” accelerator program to narrow the food gap in the District, especially in Wards 7 and 8. The collaboration, strengthened by a $115,000 grant from Mars, Inc., the organization behind the Seeds of Change Project, will provide food literacy programs, nutrition and farming workshops through the upcoming months at THEARC and several other locations.

Published

6 years ago

May 24, 2019

Oakland Post

By George Kevin Jordan

Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR) and Seeds of Change are partnering up to create a “food-focused” accelerator program to narrow the food gap in the District, especially in Wards 7 and 8.

The collaboration, strengthened by a $115,000 grant from Mars, Inc., the organization behind the Seeds of Change Project, will provide food literacy programs, nutrition and farming workshops through the upcoming months at THEARC and several other locations.

“What the Seeds of Change sponsorship has been able to do is not only support the producing of food, but inspire the next food producers,” said, Scott Kratz, vice president of Building Bridges Across the River, and director of the 11th Street Bridge Park.

“This is the largest single grant that we’ve received and it allows us to do so much for the community,” Kratz said. “We’re really excited about it.”

According to an article by the DC Policy Center more than three-fourths of food deserts are located in Wards 7 and 8. The program will help residents with access to fresh food and offer ways to grow, cook and learn about health foods.

There are classes that will focus on composting, herbalism, canning preserving and fermenting and even bee harvesting. Many classes are at THEARC’s main campus located at 1901 Mississippi Avenue S.E. However several classes are located throughout Wards 7 and 8 including The National Children’s Center at 3400 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue S.E., and Kelly Miller Middle School located at 301 49th Street N.E.

D.C. is the second U.S. city where Seeds of Change is donating grants and creating programming to address food disparities as part of a larger, country-wide initiative, the first being Chicago, according to Sara Schulte, External Communications Manager of Mars, Incorporated.

“We got connected with Scott and BBAR with some other community works through Mars,” Schulte said. “We knew we wanted to get involved in the work they were doing.”

“When we look for partners, we look for people who share our mission and who are also focused on providing healthier greener communities. So when we talked to Scott it was such a great fit.”

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services, according to their website.

In addition, thanks to the SOC sponsorship, BBAR will also be employing an intern to learn about urban agriculture. Tatiana Bogans, 22, a D.C. resident will intern with BBAR until November.

“Basically I will be working with the farmers, which includes weeding harvesting, basically keeping the farm together,” Bogans said. “I like working outdoors and I like community work so it was a good fit.”

After her internship, Bogans hopes to one day attend the University of the District of Columbia and study environmental science and agriculture.

“This is a really good job if you like being outside and giving back to the community,” Bogans said.

All the programming is free and open to the public. For a full list of classes and workshops please go to: https://bbardc.org/workshops-classes/

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Local Sorority Host Luncheon to Raise Money for Scholarships

Don't Miss

Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee Demand Social and Economic Changes, and Promise “No Fun”

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of January 15 – 21, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 15 – 21, 2025

Published

3 days ago

January 17, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

Published

1 week ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Supreme Court Decision Confirms Convicted Felon Will Assume Presidency

NNPA NEWSWIRE — In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that Trump’s concerns could “be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal” and emphasized that the burden of sentencing was “relatively insubstantial” given that Trump will not face prison time. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, with four conservative justices dissenting.

Published

2 weeks ago

January 10, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s emergency request to block criminal proceedings in his New York hush money case, ensuring that a sentencing hearing will proceed as scheduled on Friday. The decision makes it official that, on January 20, for the first time in its history, the United States will inaugurate a convicted felon as its president.

In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that Trump’s concerns could “be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal” and emphasized that the burden of sentencing was “relatively insubstantial” given that Trump will not face prison time. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, with four conservative justices dissenting.

Trump was convicted in May for falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction to intervene in a state criminal case, particularly before all appeals in state courts were exhausted.

Trump’s legal team claimed the sentencing process would interfere with his transition to power and argued that evidence introduced during the trial included official actions protected under the Supreme Court’s prior ruling granting former presidents immunity for official conduct. Merchan, the New York judge who presided over the trial, ruled in December that the evidence presented was unrelated to Trump’s duties as president.

Prosecutors dismissed Trump’s objections, stating that the sentencing would take less than an hour and could be attended virtually. They said the public interest in proceeding to sentencing outweighed the President-elect’s claims of undue burden.

Justice Samuel Alito, one of the four dissenting justices, confirmed speaking to Trump by phone on Wednesday. Alito insisted the conversation did not involve the case, though the call drew criticism given his previous refusals to recuse himself from politically sensitive matters.

The sentencing hearing is set for Friday at 9:30 a.m. in Manhattan. As the nation moves closer to an unprecedented inauguration, questions about the implications of a convicted felon assuming the presidency remain.

“No one is above the law,” Bragg said.