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Photo Essay: Community Food Security Panel with the Duke Campus Farm- the Importance of Mutual Aid and the Power of Community

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On February 26th, the Duke Campus Farm brought together a panel of community organizations focused on food security in Durham to discuss their work and the challenges they’re facing. Nearly 50 community members and students sat in on the panel at perfect lovers coffeehouse.

Representatives from CANDOR, Baggingit4Kids, Root Causes, and Durham Community Fridges sat down with Roo Jackson, Community Food Security Fellow at the Duke Campus Farm. Each brought different perspectives around what motivated them in their missions to eliminate food waste and increase community access to fresh, nutritious food.

February's Community Food Security Panel members- Abijah Gattis, Ginger Allison, Roo Jackson, Scott Brummel, and Beau Borek smiling for a photo
From left to right: Abijah Gattis (CANDOR), Ginger Allison (BaggingIt4Kids), Roo Jackson (Duke Campus Farm), Scott Brummel (Root Causes), Beau Borek (Durham Community Fridges).

Starting in January 2024, Duke Campus Farm shifted their production distribution from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model to food security partnerships after joining the Office of Climate and Sustainability as a core unit. Within the new growing season, over 25,000lbs of produce were distributed to their partners at Root Causes, Durham Community Fridges, West End Free Market and Duke’s Graduate Student Pantry. 

“I do this because I think food should be free and people should have access to the food they want."

- Abijah Gattis, CANDOR Farm and Market Co-Manager

Bags of mustard greens on a table in focus with people shopping at the West End Free Market in the background

 

The February panel marked the first public discussion with Duke Campus Farm’s new community partners. At the end of the night, the panel was opened to community members with questions. The event was in support of the farm’s goal to catalyze positive change in the food system through connecting with community while providing Duke students with opportunities for food systems education. 

 

Soups in the Durham Community Fridges surrounded by kale

 

Throughout the night, panelists shared their organization’s histories and missions, many of which intertwine. 

Durham Community Fridges, located at St. Joseph’s Church. Part and Parcel, and most recently Omie’s coffeehouse, operate under an tight-knit volunteer system that encourages individuals and organizations to donate produce and meals, as well as clean fridges, on their own time.

“We put up a fridge and began filling it and it came to life. We now have a second and third location, and operate under the idea that food is a right and not a privilege.”

- Beau Borek, Durham Community Fridge member

Audience and panel at the Community Food Security Panel

 

BaggingIt4Kids (B4K), founded by Ginger Allison, focuses on redistributing surplus groceries to Durham Public School Pantries, Durham Community Fridges, and other neighborhood food pantries. Following the panel, Duke Campus Farm began a partnership with B4K to provide a share of weekly produce throughout the 2025-26 growing season.

“40% of food in the United States goes to waste. That said, in partnership with everyone here, last year we took 50 tons of otherwise wasted food and gave it to the community. There’s plenty of food, it’s just the resources of people and their time and availability. So let’s keep eliminating food waste so this planet can breathe and so children can thrive for the next seven generations.”

- Ginger Allison, founder of BaggingIt4Kids

Roo moves a bag of kale while dropping off produce at Root Causes

 

Duke Campus Farm’s longest standing partner and fellow Duke affiliate, Root Causes, bridges research and community engagement through their Fresh Produce Program, managed by Scott Brummel. The organization works with local health providers to identify food insecure community members and deliver locally sourced produce. The program functions under a fully volunteer driven model, now serving over 400 families. 

A recent study by Duke’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute found that fresh food delivered by Root Causes, in partnership with El Centro Hispanico and NCCU, can lower hypertension and food insecurity.

“Being in community is... being vulnerable, talking through misunderstandings, and knowing your boundaries.”

- Scott Brummel, Root Causes coordinator and Assistant Director for Food and Nutrition Security at the Duke Center for Community Engagement

The sun sets on a bed of kale and swiss chard at the Duke Campus Farm

 

As part of the community organization CANDOR’s mission to bridge the understanding between disability justice, food justice, and racial justice, their team runs the West End Free Market twice a month. The market offers high-quality produce and dry goods for community members in the West End, Lyon Park, and Lakewood areas.

“This job has fed my soul… I really appreciate how this network happens to work together.”

- Roo Jackson, Community Food Security Fellow at the Duke Campus Farm

Roo sits and smiles in the Duke Campus Farm van while holding two bunches of kale

 

Duke Campus Farm’s inaugural Community Food Security Panel was the collective effort of all organizations involved. If you would like to take part in the important mutual aid work being done to feed Durham, take a look through the links below.