Last fall, Natural Awakenings Fairfield County featured Green Village Initiative (GVI), a Fairfield County grassroots nonprofit that creates social, economic and environmental change through local action. Reservoir Community Farm is an urban farm established by GVI in the heart of Bridgeport, one of America’s largest food deserts. In mid-March this year the community building at Reservoir Community Farm was destroyed by fire. Now they are seeking community help to rebuild this important local food resource. Begun three years ago entirely by volunteers, the farm has grown into a community space for the neighborhood where 40 community garden plots provide space for families to grow their own food. The farm also has production plots and sells produce to the public school system, at a farm stand, and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

The farm hosts educational workshops for schoolchildren across the city, teaching about farming, nutrition and sustainability. Reservoir Community Farm is also a significant source of fresh produce for the Bridgeport Nutrition Center, which serves the free and reduced lunch program in Bridgeport’s public schools.

The community building destroyed in the fire, known as the Shed, played host to field trips for 24 schools in the city. The building was the repository for teaching supplies critical for the field trips in addition to acting as the central meeting area for the farm and community members. The building also housed the bathroom, washroom and produce refrigerator. They have continued growing vegetables with limited resources that survived the fire, but are struggling to provide the educational support they previously gave to the community.

The Fairfield County Community Foundation will match ever dollar raised to rebuild the Shed. After the match, if they reach their goal of $25,000, they will have $50,000 not only to rebuild the community space, but continue to host workshops and field days, advance the youth empowerment program through farm-based skill-building internships, and produce hundreds of pounds of fresh vegetables for Bridgeport Public School cafeterias every year.

For more information or to donate, visit ReservoirFarm.org and GoGVI.org.