CAUSES and Hay-Adams Partnership Promotes Locally Grown Food

Locally grown food is high in nutritional value, super fresh and delicious. The Hay-Adams will receive a steady supply of locally grown food from the Muirkirk Research Farm of the UDC College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES). The farm of the District's only land-grant university uses sustainable growing methods to produce a range of fresh herbs and vegetables that are rare in DC supermarkets. Many of them are so-called ethnic crops that do not originate on the American continent but can be grown locally.

"We wanted to be a part of the CAUSES initiatives to increase local food production and to serve our local community at the same time," says Hans Bruland, Vice President and General Manager of The Hay-Adams, "and this partnership also benefits our clients. There is nothing better than food that was harvested in the morning and is served that same evening; better yet when some of the food reminds you of home – even if home is on the other side of the globe."

CAUSES Dean Dr. Sabine O'Hara has launched a number of community partnerships that connect the dots between locally grown food, nutritional health and economic empowerment such as the Project EDEN (Everyone Deserves to Eat Naturally) initiative with ReGeneration House of Praise in Ward 8. The new partnership with the Hay Adams will also bring collaborative community service events, focusing on nutritional health, local food production and culinary training, to the residents in some of the District's food desert areas.

"Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of where their food comes from and how it impacts their health and well-being," explained Dr. O'Hara. "The partnership between Hay-Adams and the University of the District of Columbia recognizes that people want to eat locally grown food they can trust."

For more information, contact Dean O'Hara at sabine.ohara@udc.edu.