The Fund: Neighborhood
The Foundation’s Neighborhood Fund was created from a fundholder’s desire to support impactful organizations providing critical services in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood. In 2023, we directed grants to eight nonprofits meeting the needs of the people of the Del Paso Heights neighborhood. The Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance was one of them.
Photos from the Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance
The Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance
The Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance (DPH Growers’ Alliance) was established in 2013 and is focused on improving the social, economic, and environmental conditions of Del Paso Heights in North Sacramento and surrounding communities. In May 2023, the DPH Growers’ Alliance established its 501(c)3 status.
“Our mission is to build and create healthy, sustainable neighborhoods through policy, advocacy, and experiential education,” Fatima Malik, founder and volunteer chief executive officer of the DPH Growers’ Alliance, told us. “It’s to support healthy and thriving neighborhoods and sustainable economies and we do that through direct action, mutual aid, and urban agriculture education. Overall, it’s mission-critical to our work to ensure that our values, ethos, and principles really help support the necessary policy, systems, and environmental changes to ensure that we have a healthy and thriving community.”
Photos from the Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance
Then and Now
2023 marked the second time the DPH Growers’ Alliance received the Neighborhood Fund grant. “The first round of granting was actually the very first grant that the Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance received,” Fatima told us, referring to the DPH Growers’ Alliance’s Butterfly Garden project that was funded by the Neighborhood Fund in 2022.
For the Butterfly Garden Project in 2022, the DPH Growers’ Alliance collaborated with Black Excellence 916 and gathered around 50 volunteers for a Community Day. Together, they installed 200 square feet of pathway border using upcycled wood from a different site, planted over 20 native plants, cared for 150 plants, installed about 250 feet of irrigation line, and mulched about 500 square feet of the garden. In addition to the work they did in the garden, BE916 organized a sock drive for unhoused neighbors and anyone in need of socks, as well as free haircuts by students from Paul Mitchell The School Sacramento.
Receiving the Neighborhood Fund grant for the second time helped support additional food sovereignty programs led by DPH Growers’ Alliance. “[This second round of] funding provided support for our Fresh Outta DPH Free Farm Stand, Suga’ Cane Garden Greenhouse Build, and Root Cellar Garden Community Composting Hub to enable us to purchase necessary supplies, materials, and direct resources for resident leadership stipends.”
Photos from the Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance
The Fresh Outta DPH Free Farmstand Program
Using the 2023 Neighborhood grant funds, the DPH Growers’ Alliance supported the Fresh Outta DPH Food Distribution Program, a collaborative project with the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute. This project is part of the UC Irvine Community Resilience CAPECA training program.
“It was our first time procuring fresh, local, seasonally grown produce from immigrant and refugee farmers from our partners International Rescue Committee and their New Roots Farm in West Sacramento,” Fatima shared. “We really focused on logistics and distribution. This was our first attempt at creating a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) style free food box program. It was an opportunity to take a spin.” As of December 31, 2023, the Fresh Outta DPH program served 85 households with 480 boxes of produce, averaging seven pounds of produce per box and distributing about 60 boxes a week. The farmers of the New Roots Farm in West Sacramento provided 2,100 pounds of fresh farm-to-table produce in total, making it possible for the Growers’ Alliance to support the folks that received the produce as well as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) farmers to the tune of $20 a produce bag, averaging $1,200 a week.
Photos from the Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance
Alongside food distribution, the DPH Growers’ Alliance conducted 33 community baseline surveys and built relationships to invite and engage participants in their longer-term urban agriculture programming at Root Cellar Community Garden, where folks learn how to compost and grow their own food. The Growers’ Alliance provided administrative support and facilitated the growth of business and economic development opportunities for community members from disadvantaged backgrounds and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) farmers through training, coaching, mentorship, and technical assistance. They also worked with Sacramento County Department of Public Health on a garden training video teaching folks how to container garden and vermicompost (State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program). The Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance invites community members to attend its first annual Food Forum on Saturday, June 8, and Sunday, June 9. Visit the DPH Growers’ Alliance website for details or contact info@dphga.org for more information. You can also learn more about the Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance on its GivingEdge profile.