Bolsa partner Chris Zielke hopes an upcoming fundraiser benefiting Paul Quinn College's Food For Good Farm will help change how people think about Oak Cliff.
"From the Oak Cliff community standpoint, I want to show people it's more than just Davis Street," Zielke says. "There's a big area out here."
That includes the two acres which serve as Paul Quinn College's Food For Good Farm, a student-run, sustainable urban farm that's now in its third growing season. Launched in collaboration with PepsiCo, the farm's designed to teach students about agriculture and entrepreneurship and provide the surrounding community with fresh produce.
"They're coming along very nicely," Zielke says. "They're getting better and better organized, and the more support we can give them, the better they'll do."
Money raised from A Community Cooks, a farm dinner on April 14, will be used to help the school buy a tractor and pay for other operating expenses. Participants will be seated amidst the "herbs, lettuce and strawberries coming up" at the event, which Zielke describes as a "big cookout."
Chefs for the event include Graham Dodds, Julian Barsotti, Randall Copeland, Jeff Harris, Janie Provost, Kelly Hightower and Tim Bevins. There will also be a keynote speech by McArthur "genius" Will Allen, the founder of Milwaukee's Growing Power and a leading advocate for urban agriculture.
Tickets to the dinner are $100.
"If we want Dallas to have a real locavore movement, it's important we support the people making that happen," Zielke says.
