Junior League of Duluth

The Junior League of Duluth’s “Let it Grow” program works to address food-insecurity in the Twin Ports as part of a coalition of community partners with shared vision and resources to establish a food secure community through empowerment, enrichment and education.

The program currently includes two tactics:

Tactic #1: Building a Deep-Winter Greenhouse, Outdoor Classroom, and Neighborhood Gathering Space transform an underutilized lot in West Duluth. 

Deep-winter greenhouses are designed to maximize vegetable production in the depths of winter, while maintaining a low carbon footprint and low operational costs. The hope is that this deep-winter greenhouse will be the first of many built in the community. The hoop-house offers a way to diversify the produce grown to appeal to a market for “heat-loving” crops that do not thrive in Duluth’s climate.  The adjacent lot houses a Duluth Community Garden Program site built in the summer of 2016 (http://duluthcommunitygarden.org/).

Tactic #2: Proving a Pantry

During the 2017 season of the Lincoln Park Farmers Market, the JLD offered “pantry” items to customers taking advantage of SNAP benefits to supplement their fresh produce SNAP purchases. A neighborhood survey by Fair Food Access indicated that many residents wanted more options available at the market.

Based on those research findings, every other week the JLD provided pantry items to shoppers at the Harrison Farmer’s Market. These all-organic pantry items were provided at no cost to recipients. Thanks to the Whole Foods Coop for their support!