Fifty pounds of lettuce, greens and radishes — that’s the donation that Trenton-based Isles, Inc. made to a local food bank in early June. Like other nonprofits around the country, Isles is helping fill a crucial gap for families who can’t afford groceries during the coronavirus-induced economic crisis.
But Isles’ team members didn’t just donate that food. They grew the produce themselves, in one of the organization’s two urban gardens. The donation is Isles’ first of the 2020 growing season, but not the last.
And to supplement the food it’s giving away, Isles is working harder than ever to train Trenton residents to grow food themselves — a skill that some say is crucial both to surviving the pandemic and fighting for social justice.
Founded in 1981, Isles works to foster community resilience and sustainability through job training, family support services, financial advising and a host of environmental programming.
According to Jim Simon, deputy director of community planning and development at Isles, urban agriculture is one of the nonprofit’s most effective tools for promoting healthy living and civic engagement among the residents it serves.
Continue reading here on Next City, courtesy of Brianna Baker.