On March 3, several Bainum Family Foundation staff spotlighted our “Food Learning Locator” at Rooting DC, a free all-day urban gardening forum that connects local community members with each other and with food-related organizations across the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The Food Learning Locator, launched in September 2017, was designed with the same intention — displaying nearly 400 food education and job training opportunities for users of all ages and backgrounds on an interactive web-based map.
With the support of Rooting DC co-founder Katie Rehwaldt, this year’s forum was organized and made possible by two of our food security partners — DC Greens and City Blossoms.
“Forums like Rooting DC are essential components of reconnecting with our partners across the local food system — sharing knowledge, celebrating each other’s recent successes and cultivating a community of urban growers,” said Kate Lee, Farm Director for DC Greens. “This event expands our network to new residents interested in supporting these organizations and their meaningful work to improve the health and wellness of our bodies and environment.”
“Most of our presenters are self-taught experts in their fields,” said Rebecca Lemos-Otero, Executive Director for City Blossoms. “This event has been a cornerstone in urban agriculture, gardening and food justice movements in the District for over a decade. I have yet to see anything like it anywhere else in the country, and I think it is one of the reasons why we have such a strong network in D.C.”
With representation from more than 60 businesses, nonprofits and governmental and educational institutions — and a schedule packed with dozens of interactive workshops, cooking and food preservation demonstrations, and panel discussions — the Rooting DC forum helped the Foundation further promote the map as an opportunity-rich resource for the both the public and other organizations in attendance, many of which already feature programs on the Food Learning Locator. Many of this year’s 1,400 attendees were excited that the Food Learning Locator could connect them with even more of the kinds of learning opportunities and organizations they had encountered at the forum.
We were thrilled to be part of this annual event, and we look forward to future opportunities to advance our food security work and amplify the efforts of our partners so that together, we can better serve all children and families in our community.
