WASHINGTON — On Monday, a D.C. nonprofit farm broke ground on a cold storage shed that will help it store more seasonal produce for the community.
Common Good City Farm operates a small piece of D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation land at LeDroit Park. Boston-based Consigli Construction, with offices in D.C. and a half dozen other cities, is donating its time to the construction of the new storage shed, which broke ground on April 23.
Last year, the Washington Architectural Foundation and Catholic University’s School of Architecture and Planning worked with a group of students who helped design the storage shed. The first part of the shed, for dry storage, was completed last year.
“Our foundation’s mission is to bring design to the community, and this structure, small though it may be, shows the power of that,” said Mary Fitch, executive vice president of the Washington Architecture Foundation.
“This project involved high school students, college students, architects and local citizens, all with the common goal to support healthy food in our community,” she said.
The half-acre farm uses sustainable urban farming techniques and includes a vegetable garden, fruit orchard, beehives and a composting system. It also serves as a learning center with agricultural workshops and youth education.
Common Good City Farm offers classes that range from holistic plant study to beekeeping, and includes a City Farmers volunteer program.
It distributes what it produces free or at a low cost to at-risk families. Since 2007, the farm has provided over 10 tons of fresh produce, engaged more than 2,700 adults and 4,500 youth in education programs and hosted more than 3,000 volunteers.
