FOOD AND SACRED PLACES (continued)
agriculture in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia,
reclaiming abandoned land and building green business as a
force for neighborhood revitalization.
Greensgrow is known for it farm-sourced goods like pesto
and roasted eggplant dip. These products need space for
preparation and canning, which for a time had been done
at a small kitchen in the main office. But as the business
expanded and demand increased, Greensgrow’s existing
facilities could no longer handle the volume.
The Roxborough Presbyterian Community Garden (RPCG) in
Philadelphia, PA, was established in 2009 as a way to make
church-owned underutilized land more productive and improve
outreach to local residents. Photo courtesy of RPCG.
community development by connecting the people already
present in the neighborhood.
With this unique approach, BUMC and the roving listeners
made significant progress toward the stated goals of the
unsuccessful community garden: improved access to fresh
produce, secure and local food networks, and sustainable
economic development. By late 2007, several partnerships
had been created between gardeners and other organizations
in Indianapolis.
In June of 2009, administrators of the local hospital heard
about the church’s organizing initiatives and reached out to
Reverend Mather. They proposed starting a farmer’s market
at the hospital, featuring neighborhood gardeners. Initially,
Reverend Mather was concerned about the investment of
time and money that this project would require. Fortunately,
the hospital used its own seed funding to cover the costs
and as a result, the first local farmer’s market at Methodist
Hospital is scheduled for this summer.
For Reverend Mather, the key to this story is perspective.
“We saw what had been around us all along. What
previously had been invisible was made visible.” By
making connections between people, their gifts, and
local institutions, Broadway United Methodist Church is
creatively rethinking how congregations engage with their
communities in general. As a result, the roving listeners
have forged a new frontier in food and sacred places.
St. Michael’s Lutheran Church: Philadelphia Incubation
Community Kitchens
Since 1997, Greensgrow Farms has pioneered urban
15 • Sacred Places • www.sacredplaces.org • Summer 2012
St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, located a few blocks down
the street from Greensgrow Farms, heard about its projects
and expansion. The church’s large kitchen had been
preserved well by the congregants, but it was outdated and
not in line with the city’s health regulations. So a partnership
was born: Greensgrow would renovate the kitchen, bring it
up to code, and use the space to prepare its farm goods.
But St. Michael’s is more than just a space for Greensgrow
to make assorted foodstuffs. Rather, the renovations and
improvements allowed for the creation of the Kensington
Community Kitchen. This new initiative made St. Michael’s
the center for Greensgrow workshops and classes on
sustainability, nutrition, and urban farming. In addition, the
kitchen was perfect for local food entrepreneurs burdened
by the costs of maintaining their own space.
The Community Kitchen facilities have brought tremendous
benefit all to parties involved: Greensgrow acquired new
space for its own food preparation and culinary education
classes; the local food industry gained a new space for food
entrepreneurs in need of affordable expansion; and St.
Michael’s found a new partnership that resulted in structural
renovations and increased visibility in the community.
“The Community Garden has let
the congregation share talents for
gardening, construction, and helpfulness,
while getting to know our neighbors
surrounding the church.”
Elizabeth Vecchione
Roxborough Presbyterian Church, PA
Roxborough Presbyterian Church:
Orchards in Sacred Places
29 orchards. 374 trees. 751 shrubs and vines, countless
perennials. These are the current tallies in the Philadelphia