Our Mission:
Growing Community Through Access to Healthy Food
At Martha’s, food, community and sustainability are at the heart of our everything we do. The Community Farm is a welcoming venue for connection between people across all kinds of backgrounds. Martha’s relational model organically invites a community stake in addressing some of today’s challenges.
Along with our many volunteers and partners, we are learning how to grow food together sustainably for a sustainable local food system and ecosystem. The community guides crop selection, cultivation and distribution to guests over time using best practices that increase community benefit.
Our Driving Forces
Culturally Relevant Food
The guests served at Martha’s Choice Marketplace come from a wide range of cultures and nationalities. For example, over 40% of the guests served at our food pantry are Hispanic. Martha’s places importance on the relationship of food to culture and identity. The Farm focuses on growing culturally relevant foods such as hot peppers, tomatillos and cilantro that are not typically available at food pantries. Martha’s continually surveys to understand which kinds of produce are preferred and more familiar to traditional diets. We like to supply produce that guests can be excited about!
Sustainability and Stewardship
Martha’s Community Farm operates at a critical intersection of food system and environmental sustainability. Our stewardship approach to farming values the interconnectedness of the food system, climate, ecosystems, animals and insects. In our role as food producers, we act as environmental stewards for the land and watershed.
As a regenerative farm, Martha’s practices no till farming and cover cropping to promote soil health. The Farm planted and maintains a riparian buffer food forest. This restoration planting reduces erosion runoff and pollution of the watershed while producing food for the pantry. Sheet mulching, used here and across the Farm, ensures the avoidance of pre-emergent chemical weed control. Marthas does not use any pesticides or herbicides. Native flowering plants are used as part of an Integrated Pest Management. Several native pollinator gardens have been installed to support local native insect populations.
Growing Care
Where caring for the land and each other meet
Sustainably strengthening the local food system and ecosystem involves caring for both the land we grow on and the people we grow food for. Martha’s Community Farm is a hub for connection, community and care. The Farm’s partners, volunteers, and donors create a place of experiences where they and others can feel seen and cared about. This creates sustainable, long-term involvement and aims to make the community we live in a bit better for everyone.
