PHS Receives Grant to Create “Farm for the City”

March 12, 2018

$300,00 award from Pew will fund project that spotlights access to healthy food

PHILADELPHIA– The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage has awarded the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society a $300,000 grant to create an urban farm in the middle of the city. The green landscape created across from City Hall will spark dialogue and galvanize action to increase access to healthy food for all Philadelphians.

Titled “Farm for the City: Growing for Greater Good,” the urban agriculture project will be created on 2,000 square feet on the Thomas Paine Plaza of the Municipal Services Building, 1400 Arch Street. The farm will open in summer 2018 and will produce 1,000 pounds of produce to be donated to Broad Street Ministry, which is dedicated to serving those in need.

The farm will be a site for dynamic public forums, gardening workshops and artistic performances. The programming will bring people together in civic discussions about social equity and food security, encourage policies that promote healthy communities, and highlight ways urban agriculture strengthens neighborhoods and preserves cultures.

“We are extremely grateful to The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage for supporting the creation of this extraordinary urban farm,” PHS President Matt Rader said. “We hope it will inspire dialogue and a shared vision across diverse groups to work toward food security for everyone. We also believe it will demonstrate the power of horticulture to transform communities and lives.”

Broad Street Ministry will host two community dinners for 150 people featuring produce from Farm for the City to facilitate conversation about food access and community building. The dinners will hope to bring together a diverse group of people – spanning racial, cultural, and economic divides.

ABOUT PHS

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1827, whose programs connect people to horticulture and collaboratively creates beautiful, healthy and sustainable communities. PHS’s best known activities include the Philadelphia Flower Show, street tree planting and maintenance, community gardening, public beautification, and the PHS Pop Up Gardens. PHS is supported by individual members and supporters, foundations, partners and government grants. PHS programs bring together people from diverse backgrounds to engage in horticultural projects that advance social equity, environmental sustainability, and urban livability. For information or to support our work, visit PHSonline.org.