SWAG Project's picture
Organization Name
SWAG Project
 
About Us
SWAG Project is an urban farm, food justice and community building project in the South Ward of Newark. We are dedicated to providing community food access and increasing educational and economic opportunities for local residents. The project is a collaboration between local residents, schools, faith institutions, non-profit organizations and consultancies. What We Do We are a productive urban farm a community building project & an educational center. We focus on the growth of healthy foods and healthy community. Our farm provides fresh and nutritious foods to the Newark community (especially the South Ward) and empowers residents to take control of their local food system and health. Currently the main project focuses on healthy living and connecting people to each other and new opportunities by growing food! While we started as a community garden in 2010 - growing food for the volunteers and the local project kitchen, we have grown to be much more. In 2011 we produced over 900 lbs of fresh fruits and vegetables, and in 2012 we have already surpassed that amount! Our farm also serves as an educational ‘outdoor classroom’ where local students and residents have the opportunity to connect with nature and learn about basic scientific, nutritional, and food justice concepts. We offer ongoing nutrition and social justice courses, and multiple 'lifestyle' improvement classes focused on improving health, and increasing educational and economic opportunities. We also host teen and college level interns over the summer, and partner with the local schools and NJ universities to improve our local community. Throughout the year we host numerous community meals, volunteer days, seedling sales, planting parties and harvest celebrations. We also run regular Food and the Community meetings to discuss issues around food that are specific to Newark and the South Ward community. These meetings are open for all community members to attend.
We Participate Because
We are entering the 4th year of community food growing and are looking to expand the many ways we can improve community health, connected-ness, education and entrepreneurship in our neighborhood. We feel that every year we can have a more wide reaching and tangible effect on improving local conditions for ourselves and other South Ward residents. People are drawn to our wide tent approach. Care about the food you and your children eat? Were growing a healthy alternative to current options and increasing community control over the food system. Care about nutrition and exercise? We're living that and teaching that. Care about greening the environment and beautifying your local area? We are restoring it. Care about having a hands-on extra-circular learning? We offer that in a safe, welcoming way. Urban farming is a perfect mechanism for accomplishing our mission, which we believe is comprehensive in nature and a vision for lasting community development.
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