Thousands of Washingtonians living in Wards 5, 7, and 8 have acutely limited access to the resources necessary for daily life – including affordable, healthy food. DC Greens places racial justice and health equity at the center of its mission to create a city in which healthy food is a human right and all residents can shape policies and programs for their own communities. Its award-winning Produce Prescription (Produce Rx) program, a Food Is Medicine intervention, enables medical providers to prescribe fresh fruits and vegetables to D.C. Medicaid patients with diet-related chronic illness. The Well at Oxon Run, a community farm in Ward 8, promotes healing in healthy green spaces and offers programming that improves food access in the community. And in 2024, DC Greens launched the Community Leadership Initiative, a leadership development program that brings community voices directly into the organization's decision-making.Together, we can grow a healthier DC. Join the movement!
Headquarters: DC-Ward 6
Where They Operate: DC-Citywide
Age Groups Served: All
Population(s) Served: Low- to Moderate-Income Community Members; Students
Awards & Recognition
In 2024, DC Greens' Produce Rx program, alongside our partners at Bread for the City, was awarded the John Benjamin Nichols Award by The Medical Society of D.C. Established in 1953, the John Benjamin Nichols Award recognizes organizations and individuals who have made exceptional contributions toward advancing community health.
In 2023, DC Greens' The Well at Oxon Run was designated as a People’s Garden by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The designation of a “People’s Garden” is awarded to growing spaces that benefit the community, incorporate sustainable practices, and educate the public.
In 2022, DC Greens received the Community Partner Hunger Leadership Award from the Congressional Hunger Center. Founded in 1993 by a bipartisan group of Members of Congress, the Congressional Hunger Center fights hunger by developing leaders and advocating for public policies that will create a food secure world.
Press
- A reimagined Oxon Run Park takes shape in the heart of Southeast Washington, D.C.
Fri Aug 9 2024, Chesapeake Bay Program News
DC Greens is among a variety of nonprofits work together to improve the park and the stream running through it
- How a Community Garden Is Helping D.C. Residents Get Fresh Produce
Mon Jul 1 2024, WTOP News
A community farm and wellness space in the heart of Southeast D.C. is making fresh produce available to everyone in the community.
- Why You Should Get Started in Food is Medicine Now
Mon Jun 24 2024, Food Bank News
DC Greens has been working on and revising a Food Is Medicine produce prescription program for at least a decade.
- Local farm helps alleviate 'food apartheid' in Washington, D.C.
Thu May 9 2024, Planet Forward
Growing healthy food for the residents of D.C.'s Ward 8 is more than a job for the team at The Well at Oxon Run - it's a passion.
- Food-is-medicine programs gain speed amid funding concerns
Wed Apr 10 2024, Modern Healthcare
Food-is-medicine programs are spiking in popularity, with health systems, grocers and delivery services getting in on the action.
Budget (FY2023)
- The current budget for DC Greens is: $3 million or higher
- $1 million to $3 million
- $500k to $1 million
- Less than $500k
Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to
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