DC Central Kitchen - June 23rd, 2010

DC Central Kitchen definitely put us to work. When we got there, we were scooped up and thrown into the kitchen with a ton of enthusiastic volunteers. The people there work SO hard, and they don't mess around! We were all split up - Mike washed dishes, Dabbo snapped green beans, and I learned how to cut cabbage from the head of the kitchen - Dorothy. She was amazing - she had a way she wanted things done and would not settle for anything less. She is certainly the spirit of the kitchen and keeps things in order!

DC Central is an awesome place. They salvage food from local restaurants, farmers, caterers, you name it, and create meals for local shelters. Aside from this, DC Central has a program for people that may have been incarcerated or on the street to learn how to cook. They are trained within the kitchen, and eventually go on to be employed by the kitchen or other local places. It's a completely proactive program, and we were really humbled by it. 

Mill Creek Farm - June 18th, 2010

Mill Creek Farm is a surprising site when you're driving through the rough streets of west Philadelphia. We weren't really sure what to expect, but it's certainly a gem.

In some of the harder areas in Philadelphia, you are hard pressed to find fresh produce. Lots of grocery stores offer few options for fresh vegetables and fruits so most people opt for the processed, boxed foods or fast foods that are largely at fault for the nation's high obesity rate. Mill Creek Farm is on a mission to change this. They are a fully self-sustaining farm - they use solar panels for electricity and have a compost toilet..pretty impressive. No water is used to flush or anything like that!

All kind of fruits and vegetables are grown at the farm - okra, asparagus, lettuce, strawberries, blackberries, different kinds of herbs - it's amazing the kind of variety that they have. Joanna, the woman that we worked with while we there, started the farm with Jade, another owner. 

Not only does the farm distribute local, fresh produce to farm stands around Philadelphia, but they also offer educational programs to teach others about the farm and how it can help. They offer tours and field trips to schools and organizations that are willing to learn.

We had an awesome time volunteering with the Mill Creek Farm crew. They were full of awesome information and we loved getting our hands dirty. I will post a little video below!

Check out Mill Creek Farm by clicking HERE

 

Elise Hayes "Little Steps" Summer Tour - in partnership with WhyHunger