Common Good City Farm

Pay-What-You-Can Markets Provide Food for the Common Good | Eater

"A half-acre nonprofit farm in LeDroit Park that deliberately sits between a high-poverty housing project to the north and wealthier neighborhoods to the south, using a sliding-scale, pay-what-you-can farm stand to bridge local income gaps. Shoppers are shown full prices and can choose to pay 25, 50, 75, or 100 percent (with up to $30 off), and roughly 35–40 percent of customers now take a discount — about twice the share from the program’s first season. Managers have juggled weekly pricing as inflation and SNAP cuts hit, growing about 3,800 pounds of produce last season but still spending more than $40,000 on outside purchases and relying on large foundation and government grants as well as donated goods to keep the stand stocked. Staff and volunteers frequently pick up donated produce and accept community support to keep access to fresh fruits and vegetables for neighbors who otherwise might go without." - Gabriel Pietrorazio