Building Bridges to Better Nutrition and Health with Plant-It Pop-Up Gardens

While Washington D.C. may consistently rank among the healthiest cities in the nation, taking a deeper look reveals a tale of two cities. There are significant disparities in health outcomes between Wards 7 and 8 and the rest of the city. Residents of these two wards have four times higher rates of diabetes, and Black residents of the city have 2.5 times higher rates of heart disease than white residents.¹ A major driving factor of these health outcomes: lack of access to healthy foods² and an overabundance of fast food and other unhealthy food sources.³  

The Plant-It Pop-Up Garden program seeks to help improve nutrition and health across Wards 7 and 8 by providing residents with the foundational skills, equipment and confidence to grow, acquire and prepare healthy and nutritious foods for themselves and their families. Launching at the 11^th Street Bridge Park’s Taste (Bridge Park) of the Harvest Festival on October 11, 2025, this program pairs high-yield but small-footprint home garden starter kits with live demonstrations and take-home instructional materials ranging from gardening tips to healthy recipes. Taste of the Harvest attendees will have the opportunity to take a free kit home as well as access to ongoing support from the Plant-It Pop-Up Garden team. Taste of the Harvest is a celebration of the end of harvest season, bringing together the Bridge Park’s network of seven urban farms for a community festival held at THEARC. 

Plant-It Pop-Up Gardens is a project of the 2025 Community Leadership and Empowerment Workshop (CLEW), an initiative of the 11^th Street Bridge Park. CLEW trains aspiring community leaders, organizers and advocates in leadership, problem solving and teamwork. Each CLEW cohort focuses on a particular area of community need in Washington D.C., with the 2025 cohort dedicated to food and nutrition access for health.  

For more information about Plant-It Pop-Up Gardens and the CLEW Program, contact Drew Wallace at drewwallace118@gmail.com and 703-508-3921.  

Quotes from the 2025 CLEW Cohort 

I participated in the Community Leader Engagement Workshop (CLEW) because I believe lasting change begins with listening to community voices and building solutions together. As a Catholic and a resident of Ward 8 since 1997, my faith calls me to serve others and to act where there is need. That commitment drives my passion for Plant-It: Pop Up Gardens, a project that will bring at-home gardens—small, flexible, and easy to use—into the homes of residents in Wards 7 and 8. 

This project is especially important for families and individuals who do not have a yard but can use their balcony, kitchen counter, or small indoor spaces to grow fresh food. By offering these “pop up gardens,” we can empower residents to grow their own produce while also learning about food justice, the connection between nutrition and health, and resources to sustain a healthier lifestyle. 

Wards 7 and 8 are vibrant, predominantly Black communities, yet they face disproportionate barriers: high rates of food insecurity, limited access to affordable fresh produce, and chronic health challenges linked to diet. Through CLEW, I heard directly about stakeholders’ expectations—access, empowerment, and education—and their concerns, from the immediate challenge of fresh food access to the long-term need for healthier outcomes. 

Plant-It is designed to meet those concerns head-on by providing quick wins—like giving residents the tools to grow their own herbs and vegetables right away—while building toward a larger win-win outcome: improved food security, stronger health, and deeper connections between neighbors and local food justice organizations. 

Participating in CLEW reaffirmed my belief that true leadership means acting in service of others. Through Plant-It, we are planting seeds of hope, health, and justice, one home garden at a time. 

Commissioner Tomora Redmon – ANC 8A07 

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from the CLEW Program, but am super glad that I got to participate, learn, and launch our Capstone Project to hands-on guide our community into personally mitigating food insecurity by starting easy home gardens! 

Angela Chester-Johnson 

Our project aims to show folks sustainable and accessible ways of accessing locally grown food. Even though we’re starting small by only growing herbs, we hope this makes a ripple effect and inspires people to start thinking creatively about how they’re getting food and what changes they wish to see in local food systems. 

Destiny Bugg  

CLEW gave me a chance to dig deeper into what food insecurity and health access really looks like in D.C. It helped me learn how politics, local costs, neighborhoods, and community resources shape people’s everyday experiences with getting food and healthcare. 

Sabreyna Resse 

The CLEW program empowers emerging leaders to turn passion into action, building skills that create lasting change in our community. 

Sarah Shindler 

More about the Community Leadership and Empowerment Workshop (CLEW) 

A core tenet of Building Bridges Across the River and the 11^th Street Bridge Park is power building within Wards 7 and 8 to support equitable development and community preservation. CLEW is a direct result of 11^th Street Bridge Park’s deep community engagement for over a decade now and was created in response to community calls for opportunities to practice and develop essential leadership skills. Power Building as a strategy focuses on development of community owned institutions and soft infrastructure that support sustainable systems of self-advocacy and capacity to lead projects and initiatives. In addition to leadership skills development, each CLEW cohort focuses on different topics, from food and nutrition to violence prevention. After engaging and learning from issue area experts over a 7-session course, the cohort develops a capstone project to address the issue of focus utilizing their newly cultivated skills and knowledge.   

About Building Bridges Across the River and the 11^th Street Bridge Park.  

Building Bridges Across the River provides residents east of the Anacostia River access to the best-in-class facilities, programs and partnerships in arts and culture, economic opportunity, education, recreation, health and well-being.   

The 11th Street Bridge Park, a project of Ward 8 nonprofit Building Bridges Across the River, will be Washington, D.C.’s first elevated public park. Located on the piers of the old 11th Street Bridge spanning the Anacostia River, the Bridge Park will be a new venue for healthy recreation, environmental education, and the arts. The purpose of the Bridge Park is to support the community’s physical and environmental health, while also being an anchor for anti-displacement and community preservation in our nation’s capital. The Park will feature community-driven programming such as outdoor performance spaces, playgrounds, urban agriculture, and an Environmental Education Center with classrooms to teach students about river systems. 

The Bridge Park is a community-driven project and anchored by more than 1,000 stakeholder meetings for design, development, and impact. The 11^th Street Bridge Park’s Community Preservation Plan outlines anti-displacement strategies across five pillars: Housing, Workforce Development, Small Business Enterprise, Arts & Culture, and Health & Wellness. The Park is expected to start construction in 2026 and open in 2028.