The city of Baltimore faced food production troubles after a violent riot took over the town. Angry Freddie Gray advocates, who were displeased with a lack of justice, destroyed land and, essentially, lives. As residents were going hungry, Rev. Dr. Heber M. Brown III decided to take action in order to make a change.
Pleasant Hope Baptist Church's leader began an initiative to improve his community's health crisis. Seeing how hard it was to get access to health, inexpensive quality food inspired the Black Church Food Security Network.
Faith & Leadership explained it to be a nonprofit system that helps congregations establish gardens and gives outside rural black farmers a market to sell their goods. These groups of farmers transport their fruits and vegetables to the church so congregation members can then, deliver them to the most effected neighborhoods.
So far, congregations from Maryland, North Virginia, Washington D.C. and North Carolina fill the 25 (and counting) groups of support.
Rev. Brown may seem like a miracle worker to some. But for him, he's just simply trying to make lemonade out of lemons through teamwork.
“We can actually become a pipeline that helps [farmers] magnify their presence in the region, and even create products of our own. I’m just connecting dots, showing people what’s possible when we work together.”
Photo: Black Church Food Security Network