Connect with food and gardening in your community

JOIN SHARED ROOTS

Shared Roots encourages District residents to grow food by connecting them to new food-growing opportunities while caring for and building community in the garden.

There are two ways to participate in Shared Roots:

• A Site Coordinator provides access for community members to garden, grow, or maintain a garden site.
• A Member is a District resident interested in growing food and caring for a garden site.

Become a Site Coordinator

The site coordinator application is now open! The deadline to apply is March 15, 2022.

APPLY TODAY!

Site Coordinators provide access for community members to garden, grow, or maintain one of these types of spaces*:

• A school garden that needs summer maintenance and willing to share harvests
• A community garden plot that you would like help maintaining due to mobility issues
• A gardening space in your home yard that is available for others to grow food

Why should I participate?

School staff

• Gardening outdoors can be done safely when health guidance is followed.
• Provide access to nutrient-dense fresh food to DC residents.
• Ensure that the school garden is ready for students on the first day of school.
• Engage with community members who will help with garden maintenance, and bring their own experiences, backgrounds, and skills that add richness and a sense of place.

Community garden members

• This program can only be used by community gardeners with mobility issues who are struggling to keep up their garden plots.
• Help community gardeners with mobility issues by providing community members to assist with their plots in exchange for sharing the harvest and garden knowledge.

District residents

• This program is for homeowners who have yard space with plenty of sun and access to water but don’t have the time to garden themselves.
• This program will match homeowners with community members nearby looking for garden spaces, to create and maintain a home garden while sharing the harvest.

What are the requirements?

• Attend a mandatory training webinar online
• Select members based on site capacity and needs
• Follow all relevant Mayor’s Orders and health guidance posted on: coronavirus.dc.gov
• Create a member/site coordinator agreement (template provided) and sign a District government waiver
• Orient members to the site and offer consistent access to the site, water, and tools
• Maintain an open line of communication with participants
• Practice 100 percent organic gardening methods
• FOR SCHOOLS ONLY: Obtain a letter of support from a member of the school’s leadership team that has the authority to support this program and ensure each participant is vetted through the school’s volunteer process.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to osse.nutritionprogram@dc.gov with questions.

Become a Member

The application for members will become available in April. If you would like to be contacted when the application becomes available, please email osse.nutritionprogram@dc.gov.