Planting Seeds With Charles Koiner

The Garden Club of Chevy Chase (GCCC), in partnership with the Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming (CKC), proposes a joint effort to sustain an urban farm in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland.

CKC protects and maintains Koiner Farm, a one-acre farm protected under a conservation easement in the heart of this diverse Washington, D.C. suburb. The farm welcomes over 1,000 visitors annually and produces about 4,000 pounds of fresh produce each year using the highest possible organic standards. Half of the produce is donated to nonprofit partners addressing food insecurity and homelessness.

GCCC volunteers will work alongside CKC staff and community members on the third Thursday of each month to harvest produce, weed, and prepare for the farm market. They will work directly with two specific groups: older adult volunteers from the surrounding neighborhood (who earn produce vouchers for their participation) and neurodiverse young adults from the Ivymount Organization, a nonprofit serving neurodivergent children and young adults. These farm work sessions provide job training and farming skills to the Ivymount students.

The grant will also support GCCC volunteers in delivering Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares to Housing Opportunity Commission clients with mobility issues who are at risk of homelessness. Other community partners include chefs in training from Shepherd's Table (who use harvested produce to learn culinary skills) and students from nearby Title 1 East Silver Spring Elementary School, where more than half of students qualify for free and reduced meals.

This collaboration creates meaningful relationships with diverse community groups while advancing the GCA's mission of fostering connections among people, plants, and the environment.