On Saturday, April 1, 2023, nearly 30 people from various Baltimore area churches gathered at Allen AME Church for the April 2023 meeting of the Baltimore Chapter of The Black Church Food Security Network. The agenda for the day included many presentations. Rev. Heber Brown, III provided a presentation on “The Building Blocks For An Impactful Food Justice Ministry.” During this talk, he shared valuable information about how to set a church food ministry on a firm foundation for lasting success. Linneal Smith, Director of Events for BCFSN, spoke about our Soil To Sanctuary Market. She provided dates for this year’s markets and opportunities to connect with this effort. The key presentation, however, came from Ingrid Sabio-McLaughlin and Kris Messer from the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). They shared insights on how our churches might better connect with local colleges and universities. Many of our member churches regularly express the need for more volunteers to help sustain their gardening efforts. While the crowd of supportive church members is always big in the beginning stages of a church garden initiative, soon the group thins out and church garden ministries are left with just the “faithful few.” Organizers of the Baltimore Chapter meeting asked CCBC to come because they see area college students as a potential pipeline for sustained support. Attendees of the meeting were very glad to receive this information and left out energized to continue in the work.
Now, the Baltimore churches are being organized to purchase soil together for their gardens. Buying in bulk together helps each church to save money, maximize discounts and practice operational collaboration. The net works better together!
The next meeting of the Baltimore Chapter of BCFSN is Saturday, May 6, 2023 1:00PM. Location: TBD Click here to RSVP
