SPROUT’s COVID-19 RESPONSE

COVID-19 is an unprecedented situation that calls for a unique response. Here is a collection of ways that SPROUT is responding to the pandemic in each avenue of our programming, including resources and ways you can help.

Changes in Garden protocol

During times of economic and food insecurity, it’s more important than ever to have a robust local food system and ways for people to grow food for themselves. At the ReFresh garden, we are continuing to grow food for our community and our gardeners. We’ve planted out our garden with tomatoes, eggplant, okra, basil, hot peppers, bell peppers, and lots of other herbs and veggies. In order to protect everyone’s health, we have shut down our volunteer hours, and We have implemented new social distancing rules to only allow one gardener at a time. We also ask that gardeners take extra precautions to wash their vegetables and sanitize before and after entering the garden. 

Seed/Seedling dISTRIBUTION

As home gardening becomes an increasingly important aspect of the food system, SPROUT has been working to find new ways to support everyone who wants to grow food at their home. SPROUT is offering free seedlings in order to help people grow their own food while social distancing. Through volunteer labor and donations from groups including Grow Dat Youth Farm and River Queen Greens, we have delivered seeds and seedlings to over one hundred households already. Seedlings can be picked up at Press Street Gardens on Wednesdays and Fridays, and we are also offering delivery to immunocompromised or quarantined folks. If you would like to fill out an order form or want more information, please visit our distribution page here.

ReFresh Market

In order to protect the health of our vendors and customers, we have suspended the ReFresh market indefinitely. However, we have worked to create and promote alternative channels of buying local foods from our vendors. We teamed up with Top Box Foods to help start the CCFM Box. Several of our vendors are also selling directly. You can buy produce and value-added goods from Major Acre Farm here and seedlings from Too Tall Farms here. Keep an eye out for CCFM’s second drive-through market where SPROUT’s truck farm table will be making an appearance!

FPAC’s resource list is also a wonderful tool.

Resources for growing at home

A great way to boost your immune system while limiting your grocery store visits is to grow food at home! Starting a home garden can help you feed yourself, your family, and your community, without paying for your food. Please click here for a New Orleans growing guide to get started figuring out what you may want to plant. Please also check out our seedling distribution program — it is meant for people like you!

Additionally, we have started a “gardening coach” program so that volunteer gardeners can provide individual advice to those who are starting their first garden, or have any questions as they are growing food. If you have any questions about growing your own food, please email gabe@sproutnola.org to be given a gardening coach! 

Flowers for Food

Members of the NOLA flower collective have teamed up with SPROUT to form Flowers for Food, a program where flower farmers donate their flowers to be distributed at food pick-up spots. The flowers are sold on a sliding scale from $15-$20, and all of the money earned goes directly to food distribution efforts for low income and undocumented folks. On our first day of sales, we were able to rase $500 for the GNO Caring Collective and $750 for Cattail cooks. Check out our Instagram for updates on the next Flower for Food sale.

COVID best practices when harvesting

We recommend that when harvesting, gardeners wear gloves and a mask, and sanitize before and after the harvesting. In addition, washing any food that you harvest is extremely important — especially food that is eaten raw. For more information, please refer to LSU’s Best Practices to Minimize COVID-19 Risk When Harvesting Fresh Produce