Frequently Asked Questions
What is Common Good City Farm's mission?
Our mission is to create a vibrant, informed, and well-nourished community through urban farming. We actively engage with all members of our diverse community and create opportunities for connections on our farm, while emphasizing intensive vegetable production and modeling best practices in sustainable urban agriculture.
How was your organization started?
The seeds of Common Good City Farm were sown in 2007, when Bread for the City gave our co-founders, Elizabeth Gabriel and Susan Ellsworth, permission to direct garden programs at the 7th Street site. Elizabeth and Susan organized the garden – then named “7th Street Garden” - as volunteers. Here Elizabeth, Susan, and other weekly volunteers administered programs to engage neighborhood kids and adults who took home weekly bags of fresh produce from the garden. In 2008, Common Good was invited to move to a new and larger home in LeDroit Park where we now can distribute more produce and educate more community members than ever before. Visit our History page for more information about our founding and early years.
How many individuals do you serve?
In 2017, we engaged over 500 youth and 500 adults in the food system through our various programs.
How much food do you grow?
On average we grow about 6,000 pounds of produce per year. That’s 21,221 adult servings of food.
What do you do with the produce you grow?
We distribute our produce to the community through three main programs:
• CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Program: Through our CSA program, we distribute weekly bags of produce to participating members throughout the growing season. We offer sliding scale pricing for CSA shares.
• Pay What You Can Farm Market: We sell our seasonal offerings at a weekly market. The Farm Market is held every Wednesday during our season from 3:30pm-6:30pm on the farm. We accept cash, credit, SNAP, WIC, Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks, and Produce Plus.
• Small Enterprise Program: We sell a small portion of our produce to local restaurants and businesses through our Small Enterprise Program. This helps us sustain our many programs, build relationships with the community businesses, and distribute more fresh produce.
Do you sell at any local farmers' markets?
The majority of our produce is distributed directly on our farm. This ensures that our produce is going into the homes of our closest neighbors and that people can see the farm where their food is grown.
Can I visit the farm? Can I come for a tour?
Common Good City Farm hosts hundreds of visitors each year. During our growing season, April – October, we welcome visitors to stop by anytime we are working and the gate is open. Drop in visitors are welcome to ask questions and explore the farm but you must be in one of our programs in order to volunteer. If you are planning a visit our open hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays between 3 - 6 pm. Visit our Getting to the Farm page for information on how to find the farm.
We also welcome groups to visit the farm for a scheduled tour. These tours typically take about one hour. Please contact info@commongoodcityfarm.org if your group would like to schedule a tour.
Can I volunteer at the farm?
Yes! Our primary volunteer program is our City Farmers program. City Farmers commit to volunteering once per week. This program is active March-November. Please visit our City Farmer page for more information. We also offer a limited number of open volunteer days and group volunteer opportunities. Please visit our Volunteer page for more information.
I am interested in interning with the farm. Are there any upcoming opportunities?
We typically do not offer internships. Please visit our Volunteer page or Youth Employment Program page for other ways to get involved.
Who do you partner with?
Common Good City Farm maintains a variety of formal and informal partnerships. We are an active member of the urban agriculture and food access community in Washington, DC. We are a conference organizer of the annual Rooting DC forum and a contributor to the DC Food Policy Council, largely via the Urban Agriculture working group. We partner with the DC Department of Employment Services to strengthen our Youth Employment Program and partner with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation as a partner urban farm site, a compost cooperative site, a member of their greenhouse cooperative, and a partner in their urban gardening workshop series. Common Good City Farm is also active in our local community, partnering with our local Civic Associations, the LeDroit Park Community Garden, the Friends of The Park at LeDroit as well as local churches. Since 2017, we’ve partnered with Arcadia Food's Mobile Market to offer Arcadia and Common Good City Farm's Market at LeDroit Park. Finally, we collaborate with dozens of gardening and food access non-profits, schools, and community groups each year.
How is your organization funded?
As a non-profit organization, we value diverse revenue streams. Funding is generated from foundation grants, local & federal government, individuals, and earned-income through produce sales and program fees.