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healthy food access

SCLT in the Spotlight: Food Systems Featured in Regional News

Ben Torpey, Margaret DeVos, and Kakeena Castro stand in SCLT’s Farm-to-Market Center in South Providence. Credit: The Boston Globe

Recent weeks have brought significant attention to Southside Community Land Trust and the critical challenges facing our mission to ensure access to fresh, nutritious food for all Rhode Islanders. As media outlets including the Boston Globe, Providence Journal, and WPRI 12 have reported, federal funding cuts have created an unprecedented crisis for organizations like ours that connect local farmers with communities in need.

The impact of these cuts is staggering. As Margaret DeVos, our executive director, told the Boston Globe, “It’s outrageous. Never before have we not been able to get behind as a country to help the farms and the hungry.”

The reality we face is stark: federal funding freezes and contract cancellations have resulted in a devastating $600,000 reduction to our annual budget, threatening programs that served approximately 25,000 Rhode Islanders through food pantries and community meal sites last year while supporting nearly three dozen small family farm businesses.

The Boston Globe’s coverage highlighted the human dimension of this crisis. At Urban Edge Farm in Cranston, where SCLT serves as farm manager, the concerns are deeply personal. Garmai Mawolo, a Liberian immigrant from Providence who owns Looffa Farm, expressed her anxiety: “It’s too much. We don’t know what to do. I turn on the TV [news] and it makes my heart race. How will we pay our rent? How will we pay our bills?” These are the real voices behind the statistics – hardworking farmers whose livelihoods are threatened while the communities they feed face increasing food insecurity.

In response to this crisis, we’ve been heartened by the Rhode Island Foundation’s recent announcement, covered by multiple news outlets. As David N. Cicilline, Foundation president and CEO, powerfully stated, “Imagine empty shelves at local food pantries, the end of job training programs, small business assistance drying up, Head Start programs going dark, or children going hungry.” The Foundation’s commitment of $3 million to help nonprofits affected by federal funding cuts represents a crucial lifeline, though as many have noted, the magnitude of the funding gap cannot be filled by philanthropy alone.

WPRI’s Melissa Sardelli joins SCLT’s Ellen Asermely, Jair Ascencao, Margaret DeVos, and Rich Pederson, with Somerset Federal Credit Union’s Amy Derosa gather at City Farm

The recognition of our work extends beyond the current crisis. In a bright spot amid challenging news, WPRI 12 recently honored Southside Community Land Trust through their “12 Gives Back” program, delivering thanks and recognition on behalf of the TV station, their sponsor Somerset Federal Credit Union, and the community – an acknowledgment of our four decades of transforming urban spaces into productive agricultural sites and supporting food security throughout Rhode Island.

Looking forward, we remain committed to our core mission despite these unprecedented challenges. Since our founding in 1981, when South Providence residents and Hmong refugees worked with visionary Brown University graduates to create spaces to grow culturally familiar foods, we have expanded to manage over 60 community gardens and urban farms throughout Rhode Island. The current crisis reinforces rather than diminishes the urgency of our work – ensuring that all Rhode Islanders, regardless of income or background, have access to fresh, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food.

As we navigate these difficult times, we invite our community to join us in standing up for food justice and security. Whether through volunteering, donations, advocacy, or simply spreading awareness, your support is more crucial than ever as we fight to preserve programs that have become lifelines for thousands of Rhode Islanders. Together, we can ensure that the vision that has guided SCLT for over four decades continues to flourish even in the face of unprecedented challenges.

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Remembering Rob Yaffe: A Pioneer in Rhode Island’s Local Food Movement

Robert Yaffe at SCLT’s City Farm in 2019, courtesy of Providence Monthly

When Rob Yaffe passed away on February 12, 2025, Rhode Island lost more than a successful restaurateur—it lost a visionary who transformed how our community thinks about food, sustainability, and the connections between them.

Rob’s journey began with a rich family legacy. His grandmother Reggie adopted a raw food vegan diet and began practicing yoga and meditation as early as 1940—decades before these practices became mainstream. His mother Erna continued this tradition by opening The Golden Sheaf in 1971, Providence’s first natural foods store. When Rob was just 23, his mother passed away unexpectedly, putting him in charge of the store. This early responsibility shaped his understanding of how food businesses could serve as anchors for community change.

In 1996, Rob opened Garden Grille in Pawtucket, establishing what would become Rhode Island’s longest-running vegetarian restaurant. He later expanded his vision with Wildflour Vegan Bakery and Cafe in 2010, and The Grange in 2013, which operated for nine years on Broadway in Providence. Through these establishments, Rob created spaces where plant-based eating wasn’t just accessible—it was exciting and delicious. “It’s about community,” Rob once said about his restaurants’ mission. “We exist to provide experiences where people connect with each other. If we’re not doing that, then why are we here?”

Rob’s relationship with Southside Community Land Trust was deep and enduring. He and his wife Uschi supported SCLT in countless ways over the years—hosting fundraisers, donating food from their restaurants to our events, and even donating all profits from their Table to Farm fundraiser at The Grange to support our work. After seeing the documentary “A Place at the Table” about hunger in the United States, Rob organized a screening in partnership with SCLT at Congregation Beth Sholom, demonstrating his commitment to food justice beyond his own restaurants.

As a business owner, Rob practiced what he preached. His restaurants were among the largest customers of Farm Fresh RI, and they regularly purchased produce from the Little City Growers Coop that started with Southside. In a 2019 interview with Providence Monthly, Rob noted: “We’re in the middle of a major shift. It’s not just what you eat, but where are you getting it from?” This question of provenance—of knowing your food’s origins and the hands that grew it—remains central to SCLT’s mission today.

Rob understood that his support of SCLT served a deeper purpose. “Helping Southside is a way to enable people who can’t afford to eat out to nonetheless be able to buy and grow organic, healthy food,” he explained. “Our missions are completely aligned.” This statement captures the essence of Rob’s approach to business and community—recognizing that true food system change must include everyone, regardless of economic status.

Though Rob wasn’t preachy about vegetarianism (only Wildflour was completely vegan), he delighted in hearing from new customers who were surprised by how satisfying meatless dishes could be. “We’re able to give people a transformative experience,” he said. “We have an opportunity to change peoples’ consciousness.” This philosophy of gentle transformation rather than forceful conversion characterized his approach to advancing plant-based eating in Rhode Island.

As we at Southside Community Land Trust continue our work to create a more just and sustainable local food system, we carry Rob Yaffe’s legacy with us. His vision of connecting good food with community, his belief in making healthy options accessible to all, and his quiet persistence in transforming our food landscape will continue to inspire our mission for years to come.

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SCLT Featured in Rhode Island Spotlight

 

This January, Rhode Island PBS will air a 10-minute video documentary on Southside Community Land Trust’s four-decade journey of transforming urban spaces into productive agricultural sites across Providence and supporting statewide food access efforts. The documentary, produced by Jim Hummel of Rhode Island Spotlight, chronicles SCLT’s expansion from its 1981 beginnings with two community gardens to its current network of 60 farms and gardens serving over 1,600 community gardeners and their families annually.

Featured in a writeup in The Providence Journal as well as upcoming PBS broadcasts, the piece explores SCLT’s comprehensive approach to food security through innovative programs like VeggieRx: healthcare partnerships providing veggie prescriptions for food insecure patients. The documentary includes interviews with longtime SCLT staff member Rich Pederson, who discusses City Farm’s role as a demonstration site growing 80 varieties of vegetables, and Charlotte Uwimphuhwe, who operates a successful farming enterprise at Urban Edge Farm in Cranston.

The Rhode Island Spotlight documentary will premiere on Rhode Island PBS on January 11th at 9:47 PM, with additional airings throughout the following week. For more information about SCLT’s work and impact, viewers can read the complete feature article in The Providence Journal or visit RhodeIslandSpotlight.org.

Catch the video on RIPBS:

  • Sat 01/11/2025 at 9:47 PM
  • Sun 01/12/2025 at 2:52 AM
  • Mon 01/13/2025 at 3:16 AM
  • Mon 01/13/2025 at 3:43 PM
  • Tue 01/14/2025 at 4:51 PM
  • Tue 01/14/2025 at 10:46 PM
  • Wed 01/15/2025 at 03:52 AM
  • Thu 01/16/2025 at 4:16 PM
  • Fri 01/17/2025 at 4:46 PM
  • Fri 01/17/2025 at 12:44 PM
  • Fri 01/17/2025 at 10:46 PM
  • Sat 01/18/2025 at 7:44 PM
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RI’s small & urban farmers paying outsized taxes for decades

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:

 

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Block Party celebrates new retail businesses at 404 Broad Street

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.

Produce giveaway during SCLT's Grand Opening Block Party

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.

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2023 market season resumes at Armory Park

To the delight of shoppers and growers alike, farmers market season is underway in Rhode Island. Exciting new vendors, featured popups, and family-friendly fun comes to the Armory Park Market this year, one of the longest continually operating markets in the area.

Now open every Thursday from June 1 through October 26, 3pm to 7pm at 85 Parade Street in Providence, the market’s evening hours, ample parking, and vendor variety make it a convenient one-stop shop. New to the market this year are cheese, ice cream, and bread vendors. Special guests make appearances throughout the market season, from resource organizations to performers. Of course, perennial vendors like SCLT’s City Farm, are glad to return to this established market.

For more than 25 years, “Armory Market has been representative of the diversity of the neighborhood, from vendors to patrons. And it doesn’t get more hyper-local than this!” City Farm Steward and longtime market vendor Rich Pederson says. Standing at City Farm, less than a mile from Armory Park, Rich and a small team of SCLT staff, interns, and volunteers carefully handle bunches of apple mint, sage, green garlic, and lettuce they harvested from the grounds within the last two hours. SCLT’s Ellen Asermely, who has dual-duty as Youth Education Coordinator and City Farm assistant, adds that the overall experience draws her to this market. “It’s afternoons in a beautiful park, with food trucks and music and good vibes.”

Be sure to visit the Armory Park Market to get a taste of the new flavors!

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Seeking youth, 14-18, for summer jobs in Providence and Pawtucket

Southside Community Land Trust is offering 6-week summer jobs based at urban farms in Providence and Pawtucket, from July 5 to August 15.

As SCLT youth staff, you will work together to help build a community food system where food is affordable, healthy, and culturally appealing. You will also:

  • learn how to grow delicious, healthy food
  • learn about sustainable growing practices, environmental resilience and land stewardship
  • learn about nutrition and cooking, and make healthy lunches for the program
  • work towards/earn certification in food and workplace safety (ServSafe and OSHA 10)

Providence activities will be based at Somerset Hayward Youth Enterprise Farm in South Providence. The Pawtucket program will be based at Galego Community Farm in Pawtucket.

Youth staff will be selected based on their interest in positively impacting their communities and willingness to engage in hands-on farming, cooking and food access tasks.

Applications are available here.

The deadline for applying is 5 p.m. on Tues., June 13. 

This project is funded by the RI Governor’s Workforce Board, One PVD for Youth, the Papitto Opportunity Connection, Amica Charities Foundation, the Island Foundation, Bank of America, Textron, and other funders. Thank you for your support!

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Farmers add new flavors to beloved farmers market

With the outdoor farmers market season already underway, we wanted to share that one of the most successful markets in the state, the Hope Street Farmers Market (HSFM) in Providence, is bringing on six new farms for its 2023 season.Four are run by SCLT-network farmers growing at Urban Edge Farm in Cranston.

The new additions are Charlotte Uwimpuhwe (Charlotte’s Farm), Blia Moua and his wife Mai Lee (Wilson Community Farm), Chai Thao and her husband Leng Yang (Daily Farm), and Christina Dedora (Sanctuary Herbs). Each is eager to connect with new customers at this well-run, well-attended market and sell their produce, including amaranth, Thai peppers, butter ball and bitter melon, as well as more familiar vegetables, herbs and teas.

The HSFM was named one of the 10 best farmers markets in the country by USA Today in 2019, and regularly wins in the “Best of” category in RI Monthly’s annual competition. It draws large crowds (and dozens of friendly dogs) on Saturday mornings, and features live music, food trucks, and the Providence Artisans Market along Blackstone Boulevard. Its festival vibe can obscure that, for farmers, selling here can significantly affect their earnings.

Many people don’t realize that the 32-year-old HSFM was founded by an SCLT Board Member, Sandy Parsons. It began as the DownCity Farmers Market Cooperative with a handful of farmers in Kennedy Plaza before relocating to the grounds at Hope High School. It moved again, a couple of miles up the street to

Lippitt Park, in 2008. Despite the moves and the increase in participating farmers over the years, some changes were gradual.

Getting a spot at the HSFM hasn’t been easy because farmers tend to stay for years. But, attrition caused by the pandemic created several openings. SCLT staff urged farmers we work with to pursue this opportunity for them to grow their businesses and for the HSFM to better represent the BIPOC farmers in the state.

“In the early days, all the farmers at local markets were white,” said longtime SCLT volunteer and market-goer Elaine Cali. “The farmers from Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean have brought a richness by introducing customers to produce from their home countries. And, they love to talk to customers about how to prepare and enjoy them.”

While the juried market will have more farmers and vendors this season than ever (48), Market Manager Rui David describes the growth as “thoughtful, manageable, and sustainable.” The HSFM accepts only “farmers and food artisans” from Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. One of the criteria is that a participant’s “product will add to the overall diversity of the market without negatively impacting the financial success of current full-time vendors.” After applications are reviewed by a committee of current farmers and vendors they are voted on by all market association members in the spring.

The new farmers from Urban Edge Farm will join several others over the years with connections to SCLT. Besides City Farm, these include Pat’s Pastured, Zephyr Farm, and Greenleaf Farm. Stop by and ask any of them about their products. You may very well bring home something that adds fantastic new flavors to your next meal.

Learn more about the HSFM and check out their 2023 schedule at hopestreetmarket.com.

– Jenny Boone, Grants & Communications Manager

Caption above: Chai and Christina (standing), Blia and Charlotte, inside one of the greenhouses at Urban Edge Farm.

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Food insecurity, a statewide issue

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A South Providence hub supports healthy food for all

Southside Community Land Trust’s 404 Broad Street brings fresh produce and more to the neighborhood

By Katarina Dulude, Providence Monthly

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