The organizations listed below are part of the 2024 Guide to Giving. Return to the guide’s homepage by clicking here.
AfriThrive
AfriThrive (afrithrive.org) seeks to advance food justice and equity for underserved African immigrants through programming focused on alleviating hunger and improving well-being. It provides access to culturally appropriate healthy food, youth skills development, and economic opportunities. The organization operates a mobile food pantry, a 2-acre cultural farm, and school and community gardens alongside training programs designed to stabilize families. The food pantry serves more than 21,000 people every year.
HEADQUARTERED: Silver Spring
SERVES: Montgomery County
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
– $100 sponsors a one-year community garden permit and provides seeds for one family.
– $500 provides culturally appropriate healthy produce bags for 60 families.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
– One day: Volunteer on Fridays for food repacking and distribution in Aspen Hill.
– Ongoing: Plant, weed, water and harvest at the Poolesville farm.
SSL HOURS: Yes
INTERNSHIPS: Yes
Community FarmShare
Community FarmShare (www.communityfarmshare.org) builds a connected, thriving, local food system by increasing nutrition access and building farmer capacity. Programs include Farm to School—weekly local produce to MCPS families, and Food Is Medicine—empowering 300 clinic patients to manage diet related disease.
HEADQUARTERED: Derwood
SERVES: Montgomery County
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
– $100 enables a farm to sow 300’ beets, 500’ spinach, 375’ tomatoes AND provides 4 weeks of produce for a diabetic patient
– $750 brings stocked mobile farmers markets to 4 locations, providing farm produce for 80 families and enables a farmer to pay a week’s fair wage to a worker to harvest 3,000 pounds of zucchini.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
– Ongoing: Mobile market help, produce delivery, organize a fresh veggie drive
SSL HOURS: No
INTERNSHIPS: No
Red Wiggler Community Farm
Red Wiggler Community Farm (redwiggler.org) is a sustainable care farm where people with and without developmental disabilities come together to work, learn, and grow healthy food. Red Wiggler successfully balances vegetable production alongside its inclusive mission providing opportunities for all individuals to be teachers and leaders. Through their Community Support Agriculture, Red Wiggler equitably distributes 50% of their total vegetable yield to low-income residents in Montgomery County.
HEADQUARTERED: Germantown
SERVES: Montgomery County
WHAT A DONATION BUYS:
– $100 enables a classroom of low income students to visit Red Wiggler free of charge
– $1,000 provides a week of vegetables to low-income school groups
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
– One day or weekly: Participate in on-farm education and volunteer opportunities.
SSL HOURS: Yes
INTERNSHIPS: Yes
