Food and Drink

Grow North Farm stand opens for the season in Mountain View

The Grow North Farm in Anchorage’s Mountain View neighborhood kicked off its third season this week.

The program “gives some people in the refugee community an opportunity to showcase their talents through growing food and serving hot food,” said Keenan Plate, refugee agriculture program coordinator at Catholic Social Services. “They share pieces of their culture with the Anchorage community.”

Grow North Farm operates through a partnership between Catholic Social Services and the Anchorage Community Land Trust.

“Almost everyone is coming from a refugee background,” Plate said.

Farmers are from Sudan, Nepal, Myanmar, Somalia, Mexico and Iraq. Refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo participate in Fresh International Gardens, a refugee-run farming co-op supported by Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services, a program of Catholic Social Services.

“RAIS resettles people from all over the world,” Plate said.

The farm stand at 3601 Mountain View Drive is now open Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. Hot food prepared by the farmers and Set Up Shop entrepreneurs will be served every Thursday. Weekly farm-fresh veggie boxes will be available in the first week of July.

Bill Roth

Bill Roth is a staff photojournalist at the Anchorage Daily News.

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