DC Greens Media Kit

We don’t aim to be the bridge, we build the bridge. DC Greens pilots innovative programs, makes them sustainable, then graduates them to independence as permanent parts of the food system. That way change lasts long after our work is done. 

Produce Rx serves DC Medicaid patients diagnosed with diet-related chronic conditions. Health care providers write prescriptions for fresh produce, and patients receive up to $120 per month on preloaded cards for use at major grocery retailers. 

Food Is Medicine incorporates cost-saving nutrition interventions into the health care system, recognizing that access to healthy food is a critical health intervention that can prevent and manage chronic disease. 

We track health outcomes, food tonnage harvested and distributed, food security levels, behavior changes, program participation, and community satisfaction through surveys, interviews, and program data. Most importantly, we measure whether programs are scalable, replicable, and capable of becoming self-sustaining parts of the food system.  

DC Greens was founded in 2009 by Lauren Shweder Biel, who started a neighborhood farmer’s market, and Sarah Holway, an elementary school teacher working with school gardens. They met through their shared work in food access and education and saw an opportunity to build an organization that could unite food programs across the city and create systemic change.  

DC Greens works to make sure that community voices directly shape our programs, strategic planning, and organizational direction. Additionally, DC Greens is active in coalitions and community spaces where we aim to keep our work in alignment with community needs and wants. We always strive to make real our dreams for the local food system in collaboration with city government and other stakeholders in D.C.