404 Broad

SCLT Announces Exciting 2024 Workshop Series

06/20/2024 admin 404 Broad, City Farm, Community Garden, Cranston, Food Justice, Good Earth Farm

All workshops are free | Registration is required | All materials provided to registered attendees Click the links below, or check out our Upcoming Events page for more information on each workshop.

Southside Community Land Trust is gearing up for an enriching summer and fall with the announcement of our 2024 workshop series. The series, featuring seven diverse workshops, kicks off Saturday, June 22, and runs through November 15. These free events offer a unique blend of gardening, art, and food justice education, catering to both families and adults.

The series begins with a Container Gardening Workshop on June 22, perfect for urban dwellers and those with limited space. Participants will create their own container gardens to take home, learning essential skills from SCLT’s Director of Special Projects and Master Gardener, Tarshire Battle. As summer progresses, attendees can look forward to EcoArt workshops, including Cyanoprinting at City Farm on July 25 and Landscape with Tape at Good Earth Farm on August 23.

For those interested in food preservation, an Introduction to Canning workshop is scheduled for August 14. This hands-on session will guide participants through the process of making and canning tomato sauce. The workshop will be co-hosted by Tarshire Battle and Andraly Horn, an organic farmer at Open fArms Retreat.

As autumn approaches, SCLT continues to offer creative opportunities with Mixed Media and Papermaking workshops in September and October, respectively. The series concludes with a thought-provoking Food Justice Workshop on November 15, exploring the historical context and contemporary issues surrounding food justice in Rhode Island.

These events not only offer practical skills and creative outlets but also promote environmental sustainability and community engagement. Whether you’re a gardening enthusiast, an aspiring artist, or someone passionate about food justice, SCLT’s 2024 workshop series promises something for everyone.

Thank you, 401 Gives Donors!

04/03/2024 admin 404 Broad, Apprenticeship, City Farm, Youth Program

SCLT received $31,117 across two days of the United Way’s 401 Gives fundraiser this year. The funds will support our agricultural, arts, and cultural educational programs for children, plus our workforce development program for youth and emerging adults. Each year, SCLT employs approximately 50 youth, aged 14 to 24, from Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls. These Youth Staff and Food System Interns are exposed to career opportunities in agriculture and related sciences, experience hands-on training from culinary skills to environmental stewardship, and engage with a supportive professional development track.

United Way of RI reports that 597 nonprofit and community organizations across the state received $3.8 million, a new record for 401 Gives in 2024. Moreover, 20% more donors participated this year over last. Thank you for this much-needed support! If you meant to give but missed the event, your generosity is always welcome here.

RI’s small & urban farmers paying outsized taxes for decades

03/16/2024 admin 404 Broad, Aggregation, City Farm, Food Justice, Good Earth Farm, healthy food access, Southside Community Land Trust, urban agriculture, Urban Edge Farm

The Small & Urban Farms Success bill was introduced to the RI House and Senate earlier this year by 10 State Representatives and was heard by the RI House and Senate this spring. Championed by a coalition of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, SCLT, and a network of farmers, including Open Farms Retreat‘s Andraly Horn and Sienna Viette, this legislation has the power to level the playing field by creating tax relief programs for small and urban farms that are similar to the programs that have been available for more than 30 years to larger, rural farms in our state.

RI’s current tax programs don’t meet the food or economic needs of our communities, and they don’t match our coalition’s commitment to equity. These programs need an update so that more Rhode Islanders can eat fresh, healthy, and affordable food grown right here in our tiny state, where the cost of agricultural land keeps going up, and the size of farms keeps going down.

Hear from several small and urban farmers on what this change would mean for the future of their farm businesses and the resiliency of our local food system:

Neighbors gather at SCLT's Block Party on October 28, 2023, to celebrate the three new food businesses that are making their homes at 404 Broad Street.

Block Party celebrates new retail businesses at 404 Broad Street

11/09/2023 admin 404 Broad, Aggregation, healthy food access, Southside Community Land Trust

On a warm Saturday, October 28, our Trinity Square neighbors turned out to meet, sample food, dance, and celebrate the three new healthy food businesses that are making their new homes at 404 Broad Street: Black Beans PVD, D’s Spot, and the West African Superstore. The event helped build excitement for the final stage of opening SCLT’s Healthy Food Hub, which is bringing nutritious, fresh and culturally appealing food to an area where it has been scarce for far too long.

There was music, thanks to DJ Ladyruck and DJ Franchise. There were beverages thanks to Bottles Fine Wine, and there were kids’ activities. We want to give a special shout out to Thames & Kosmos, which donated 75 educational toys for the event.

SCLT’s neighbors went home from the party with free produce grown at 27 farms in SCLT’s network. The giveaway was one of about a dozen funded by the multi-year USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance grant program, which runs through next year.

Farmer Garmai Mawolo and SCLT’s Kakeena Castro staffing the produce giveaway table during the party.

The party marked a soft opening for the tenants, although Bean Marcelino has been using the commercial kitchen at SCLT for much of the past year. Chef/owner Bean will open the doors of Black Beans PVD in late November. Darell Douglas, owner of D’s Spot, is also aiming for the end of the month. Luna Walker is eager to open, as soon as her shipment of imported African goods clears customs and arrives in Providence.

The awards keep coming for 404 Broad Street

07/11/2023 admin 404 Broad, Central Falls, GROW! Campaign, Pawtucket

Who says only bad things come in threes?

On June 22, SCLT was honored with a Smart Growth Award for the historic preservation of 404 Broad Street, our new headquarters in South Providence. This was the third recent award given to the building: In May, Union Studio Architecture & Community Design, which envisioned the $5.8 million renovation project, won a Merit Award in the Congress for the New Urbanism 2023 Charter Awards competition. And last November, the Providence Preservation Society singled out the building with its Mission-Driven Preservation Award.

SCLT Announces Exciting 2024 Workshop Series

Thank you, 401 Gives Donors!

RI’s small & urban farmers paying outsized taxes for decades

Block Party celebrates new retail businesses at 404 Broad Street

The awards keep coming for 404 Broad Street

Upcoming Events

City Farm @ Hope Street Market

City Farm @ Armory Park Market

City Farm @ Hope Street Market

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The awards keep coming for 404 Broad Street