Maria Dominique Villanueva and her partner Christopher Gooden co-founded Fountain Heights Farms in 2017 in response to observed gaps in care, concern, and resources for their neighborhood, which in 2020 was classified as the most dangerous neighborhood in the city. FHF sought to tell a different story about Fountain Heights that, despite its challenges, possessed beautiful green spaces, wooded lots, and residents who loved their neighborhood. In 2017, the co-founders started the farm in their front and back yards and in 2018 acquired their first lot and distributed over 600 pounds of produce to area residents. In 2020 they started the 467-member #WeAllEat Food Cooperative to support BIPOC farmers during the coronavirus pandemic to make food available to their neighbors regardless of their ability to pay. By 2021, they had grown to four neighborhood-based farm spaces, built an aquaponics learning center, distributed 10,802+ pounds of food free to the community, provided neighborhood employment, hosted twelve in-person and virtual workshops, trained three burgeoning urban farmers, and provided education to residents regarding land access and land retention. At the time of application, they had a 35-share CSA delivering fresh vegetables weekly.
With the successful establishment of the farm and system of food distribution for its 35-member CSA, FHF looked to find ways to increase the number of residents with access to fresh organic produce by collaborating with local growers to expand the scope and size of the CSA, which served as the primary goal of the FMPP grant proposal.
