Feeding our neighbors in need
Dismantling discriminatory systems while advocating for justice & equality for all is at the heart of everything we do
We need your help to respond to the current food crises due to the pandemic
growingSOUL, Sustainable Opportunities for Universal Learning, is a grassroots non-profit founded in 2009 by then-Maryland resident Jessica Weiss. Our mission is to engage and assist communities to reduce hunger while simultaneously reducing food waste. growingSOUL creates, implements and advocates for sustainable, interconnected, reciprocity-based food systems benefitting the vitality of communities and their residents as well as our planet.
The Chesapeake Bay region’s first Zero-Waste Food Justice program, growingSOUL is a legacy project honoring our community’s history of sharing healthy fresh food with those seeking freedom along the soil trails of the Underground Railroad. We advocate for and provide access to nutritious & sustainable food for those most marginalized.
WE CONSIDER FOOD SOVEREIGNTY TO BE THE ULTIMATE FREEDOM
As an urgent response to Covid-19, growingSOUL pivoted our programming to focus on the more immediate needs of our community. "Last Mile Food Box Delivery" ensured that healthy 32-lb fresh food boxes reach those in suffering from the pandemic. Between July 2020 and May 2021, growingSOUL fed over 3 million people in DC, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia. In appreciation for including all 5 boroughs in our efforts and feeding over 1.5 million New Yorkers, we are proud to announce that growingSOUL received the City of NY Mayoral Service Recognition Award 2020.
FEEDING OUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED
+23.M pounds
of fresh food in +750,000 boxes
Food
Trucks
778 refrigerated trucks
18 NYC & 35 Mid-Atlantic Collaborative Partners in
all 5 NYC Boroughs;
DC, Maryland, Virginia & West Virginia
Partners
Feeding Families
+3 million people fed July 2020-May 2021
Since the USDA Farm to Families program ended in May 2021,
many more people continue to be hungry as the variant surges.
growingSOUL needs your assistance.
35 trucks a week
435 trucks
with 6 vendors
since September
What We Do
#GrowYourSoul
Yard Link
Composting and
Food Production
Collect community food scraps and compostables to effectively grow healthy soil in which we help communities to grow healthy sustainable food.
Putting Stock in Your Community
Processing & Preserving
in the Kitchen
Recover seconds and ugly produce and process them into bone broth, soup stock, stuffings, muffins and dehydrates that we donate into the community.
Culinerati
Workforce Development,
Education & Advocacy
Collaborating with community partners, we advocate for and create reciprocity-based educational opportunities for volunteers, ages 4-94, to take part in sustainable food systems..