PRESS RELEASE – August 30, 2023
Mountain Heritage Trail (MHT) is excited to announce its latest volunteer project, Nourished Feasts & Farmacy (NFF). The project is breaking ground to provide fresh, culturally-specific produce to pregnant and postpartum women of color. Volunteers will prepare the ground of a 100′ x 50′ and a 50′ x 20′ plot for fall amendment by planting cover crops and installing electric fencing so produce can be planted in the spring for summer CSAs free to our target audience.
This project is made possible with support from Volunteer West Virginia, the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture & History, and the Governor’s Office.
NFF seeks to address the impact of West Virginia maternity deserts on struggling populations by providing nutrient dense, culturally-preferred fresh food in the form of seasonal CSAs. For the harvest seasons of 2024, this pilot project’s goal is to provide 10 families with free CSAs for approximately 10 weeks while also educating the community on ways to produce food within their own setting. NFF intends to save seeds from the summer crop and share with CSA recipients to experiment with.
“MHT collects stories of the community but this is the first time we are in a position to actually impact those stories and offer a small solution,” said Shefa Nola Benoit, Founder of MHT. “It’s a unique example of how, through community-centered action, our values and culture shines through.”
The project is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, September 30, 2023. During this time, volunteers will have the opportunity to prepare a 50′ x 100′ plot for no-till gardening. This includes layering plot with cardboard, compost, and mulch, installing posts for fencing, preparing nearby compost bins and building a stand for a cistern.
This volunteer opportunity is open to the public. You can join us for both Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1 from 8AM until 4PM, for one day only, or for part of the day. We are also accepting donations of compost and hardwood (no black walnut) mulch. For more information about this project or to get involved please contact Shefa Benoit at roadtrip@mountainheritagetrail.org or 304-897-8084.
MHT received a $500 mini grant from Volunteer West to host this project. The purpose of the Volunteer West Virginia Mini Grant Program is to help local organizations develop new volunteer projects in the community. Through the 2023 mini grant program 30 organizations throughout the state received a mini grant of up to $500 to host a volunteer project in September – October 2023.
Volunteer West Virginia is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, & History. To learn more visit www.volunteer.wv.gov.