This North Philly urban farm is fighting food insecurity during COVID-19
Founded by Temple University students and neighborhood activists in 2010, Urban Creators is run in large part these days by young friends in their 20s who started doing odd jobs at the farm as teens.
By Alfred Lubrano and Raishad Hardnett
Philadelphia Enquirer
Nov 24, 2020
Excerpt:
Once an illegal dump, set beside a SEPTA Regional Rail line, the nearly-three-acre plot is studded by trees — some in planters made of painted tires — and lined with beds normally thick with flowers and vegetables in the growing season. Run by a grassroots nonprofit called Urban Creators, it yields needed food in a supermarket desert where hunger proliferated long before the pandemic.
The farm also serves as a community commons — a nexus of artistic and entrepreneurial incubation in what neighbors call a “magical” space dotted by sheds and a pavilion used for public events. It offers safety, its organizers say, and a respite from “the ravages of systemic racism.”
Founded by Temple University students and local activists in 2010, Urban Creators is run in large part these days by young friends in their 20s who started out at the farm doing odd jobs when they were teenagers.
As beloved as the farm is, however, it’s facing a potential end in 15 months when the rent-free lease held by the city runs out. What happens next is a subject of constant discussion and worry. Meanwhile, hungry people continue to show up to purchase low-priced vegetables. There are also free children’s meals, feminine hygiene products, books, and no-cost boxes of food that farm operators procure from hunger-relief agencies.
“This farm is a blessing to the community,” said Brenda Reed, 60. “We need this. You don’t want them taking land from people. I’m retired and disabled, and I need to get food. Look at what they provide here. Where else can we get this if it’s taken away?”
