The Methodist Theological in Ohio: On Food and Faith

Training cohort from 2018. Image courtesy of mtso.edu

In May 2019 The Methodist Theological School in Ohio held a conference on sustainable food practices to fight poverty, hunger, and climate change. This conference was intended to support the education of faith leaders on current environmental issues led by Al Gore, Heber Brown III, and Aster Bekele.

To learn more about On Food and Faith click here.

The University Garden Church

Image courtesy of tucgarden.org

Started in 2010, The University Church (TUC) garden fights food insecurity in Toledo, Ohio by donating produce to local pantries and families. They hold events to educate on gardening practices, and they partner with Reynold’s elementary school and hold events to teach students about gardening and healthy eating. They also sponsor a Community Supported Agriculture group that runs from June to September.

To learn more about TUC Garden click here.

A Rocha: Guide for Community Garden

Image courtesy of arocha.org.

A Rocha is a Christian organization that supports conservation efforts. Originally established in Portugal, this group now has a presence in twenty countries. One of the resources that they offer is a guide for establishing a church garden, including information on how to deal with weeds and an appendix of forms outlining permission for land use or volunteer registration that communities may find helpful.

 

To access the PDF click here.

To learn more about A Rocha click here.

Ohio Compassion Map

This group organizes Ohio’s compassionate efforts, including those organizations created by faith communities. You can search the interactive map by location or look for organizations under service sector, like environment or food and nutrition, to find groups to partner with or volunteer with.

To connect with the Ohio Compassion Map click here.

Image courtesy of ohiocompassionmap.org

Ohio Association of Food Banks

Image courtesy of Ohiofoodbanks.org

Many faith communities in Ohio partner and support local foodbanks. The Ohio Association of Foodbanks supports these foodbanks through the Ohio Food Program and the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program, which helps to provide foodbanks with Ohio-grown produce and vegetables.

You can learn more about the Ohio Association of Foodbanks locations and volunteer opportunities here.

Cool Harvest: Faith Garden Stories

Image courtesy of cool harvest.org

When faith communities begin their own gardening journey, it is helpful to refer to stories from communities who have done it before. Cool Harvest, an interfaith food and climate organization created by Interfaith Power and Light, gathered the best entries from the Cool Congregations Challenge for “Sacred Grounds Steward” submissions.

To connect to these success stories click here.

Goodness Grows

Image courtesy of goodnessgrows4all.org

Goodness Grows is an organization that provides opportunities for people of all abilities to connect through gardening. They are located in Common Ground Church Community  and they are a licensed provider of daily programing for adults with disabilities through the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.  The produce that is grown is then used for a Community Supported Agriculture Program.

 

To learn more about Goodness Grows click here.

Ohio Farmer’s Markets

Image courtesy of ohioproud.org

For those looking to simplify their eating and support more local growers, Ohio Proud is an organization connects consumers to Ohio grown products. Their website offers a page where you can search for the closest market to you via company name, zip code, or county. To connect with Ohio Proud’s Find a Farmer’s Market page click here.

Black Church Food Security Network

Image courtesy of blackchurchfoodsecurity.net

The Black Church Food Security Network connects growers, especially Black farmers and urban growers, with historically African American congregations. Black churches have proven to be a strong-hold even in vulnerable communities, and the Black Church Food Security Network embraces the history and ability of the black church to make significant and lasting change in their communities. Their “Soil to Sanctuary” community markets work to provide and establish a cooperative partnership between growers and consumers. Currently they support the Mid-Atlantic region, but they are working to publish a guide to support those who want to start a garden at the local congregation level.

This organization was created by Rev. Dr. Heber M Brown.

To learn more about the Black Church Food Security Network click here.

Profile: Rev. Dr. Heber M Brown

Image courtesy of heberbrown.com

Rev. Dr. Heber M. Brown is a Baptist pastor in Baltimore, Maryland. Brown is committed to social development and has been instrumental in the creation of several programs in the Baltimore area. These include Orita’s Cross Freedom School, of which he is the founding director, and the Black Church Food Security Network. The latter works to support the accessibility of food by linking historically African American congregations with urban growers and Black farmers. Brown has received a number of awards recognizing his work, including the Ella Baker Freedom Fighter Award and the Food Justice Award from the Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights.

To learn more about The Black Church Food Security Network click here.

To be taken to Brown’s personal website click here.