Neighborhood Farm Initiative

While growing up in the Bronx, Brenda Estrella always wondered about the community garden right around the corner from her apartment building. Decades later, she's discovered for herself the delight that eluded her as a child by working directly with the earth.
After quitting her job and promising to only get involved in projects that she's passionate about, Brenda eventually moved to a farm in Pennsylvania to learn about organic farming. She went on to spend four months on two farms and returned to Washington, DC with a newfound passion.
Brenda has an extensive background working in non- profits, from community financial institutions to local cultural arts organizations. She's excited to share her skills and experience as part of the NFI team, and she looks forward to having a role in the organic and urban farming movements. .

Before co-founding NFI in 2008, Bea had several growing seasons of experience working on and managing small organic vegetable farms and gardens. Prior to that, she spent a cumulative 10 years volunteering and then working in a multitude of capacities with youth of all ages - from infant childcare to running an after-school teens club, from coordinating summer gardening programs with elementary-aged children, to overseeing teen volunteers doing emergency home repair and construction for low-income families.
Bea has been a community gardener and a community garden organizer in Washington, DC since 2006; she co-coordinates the annual Rooting DC Urban Gardening forum (500+ attendees), serves as a Master Gardener in Prince George's County, and serves as the Program Director for NFI. Bea is dedicated to educating both youth and adults in how they can grow their own food in an urban setting, with a particular focus on increasing access to fresh foods in food insecure neighborhoods.

Kristin came to DC from western NY and has been interested in gardening and composting since moving to DC in 2006. She's volunteered with NFI for over a year and is excited to join the NFI team. She takes pride in her small container garden and her 100+ pet worms (aka her vermiculture compost bin).

Hello! My name is Whit McClure, and I'd like to describe myself through a haiku:

Hails from Kentucky //
Loves her food from seed to plate //
Crazy for earrings.

Fay is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. While in college she developed a passion for local food, and helped establish a garden at a summer school program in her home town. Fay is excited to begin fundraising for NFI as a volunteer and help to others appreciate the local food movement.

Sarah Howell

Field to Fork Networking Intern, 2011

Sarah Howell is originally from semi-rural Maine (not quite rural, not quite suburban), came to Virginia for college, moved abroad after graduation for two years to work, and now has found herself back in Virginia teaching high school Biology. She is a lover of science, the environment, fresh fruit and veggies, and is very excited to be working for NFI and the Field to Fork Network as one of the new interns. She enjoys cooking, teaching, learning, being outside, gardening (though she is worried she is not blessed with as green of a thumb as some). She is interested in possibly pursuing graduate school in the near future to get into working with environmental policy, specifically food policy, and hopes to eventually make access to good, healthy, clean and natural food a real, affordable possibility for everyone.