Last Saturday, DC Greens’ Community Leadership Initiative (CLI) team attended Rooting DC! We had a blast sharing with the community about our mission and the many ways people can get involved with our work.

I loved talking to new people as well as seeing familiar faces. This event foreshadowed the amazing season for us ahead at DC Greens. We received so much excitement from visitors for all things related to agriculture and well-being. It was so invigorating seeing people come out because they care about healthy food and living their lives in connection to nature.

When we entered Eastern High School, where Rooting DC was held, I could feel the energy, buzz of excitement, and the love from the community. We recently welcomed two new members to the CLI team, and it was amazing to see how attending this event brought the team closer together as we enjoyed shared work together. It was great to see the new members to the CLI team engage with the public so naturally. The amazing team dynamic of the CLI team was shining through.

It also brought our community to our mission, our programs, and our work. Adults and children alike were able to learn something new about our work, join our email list, or get a table prize when they played trivia at our table. Similar to our experience at “A Day of Action”, we were happy to start someone on their gardening journey or help boost an experienced gardener with our seed packet giveaways.

Across the event, our team also wore matching t-shirts that proudly showcased the DC Greens motto, “Healthy food is a human right!” And it was clear that so many community members in D.C. share this belief, and they, too, share our dream that all D.C. residents have access to better food choices. When we come together to share wisdom, ideas, and creative solutions at events like Rooting DC, we are embodying the change we want to see in society. And the community’s shared enthusiasm for this dream gives me hope for the future.