About Dig Deeper
Come explore ways to grow, harvest, share and repurpose food in community and advocate for a more just food system. Dig Deeper will provide opportunities for young adults to produce and share nutritious foods with others while learning techniques and practices that reclaim land and restore habitats.
Dig Deeper is a food justice initiative made possible by a grant from The Episcopal Church’s Young Adult and Campus Ministry to Saint Mark’s Cathedral. Saint Mark’s is partnering with the Diocese of Olympia and Nurturing Roots Farm to create opportunities for young adults to participate in the work of food justice.
Grant Coordinator & Event Organizer
Emily Meeks, Special Projects Coordinator & Interim Staff Support of the 20s/30s Ministry, Saint Mark’s Cathedral [pictured, right, with Nyema Clark of Nurturing Roots Farm].
Save These Dates!
- Serving Meals for Unsheltered Neighbors February 2024*
- A Discussion on Poetry and Eco-Theology Sunday, May 12 – 7:30 pm
*In collaboration with Seattle University Campus Ministry
Videos
Composting Workshop
Learn more about the basics of composting from this workshop with the City of Seattle’s Master Composter / Sustainability Steward Program held in the Leffler Garden on the campus of Saint Mark’s in October.
Worm Bin Demonstration
Nurturing Roots founder Nyema Clark gives an overview of how to compost with worms in the Leffler Garden on the campus of Saint Mark’s. She also shares some creative (and delicious ways) to use food scraps. The video describes the collaboration between Saint Mark’s and Nurturing Roots through Dig Deeper, and its commitment to engage young adults in issues of food justice.
Past Events
- Farm Service Day – October – Seattle University Students students and Saint Mark’s 20s/30s spent the morning working the farm at the Beacon Food Forest [pictures, above]; a catered lunch by Homegrown was provided.
- Soup and Substance – October – Seattle University Campus Ministry hosted guest speaker Nyema Clark of Nurturing Roots Farm who shared her story of how she became a farmer, and the joys and setbacks of urban farming, to a group of engaged students over a hot lunch [pictures below]. Read a follow-up article, “A Glimpse at Hunger, Nutrition and Food Insecurity in Seattle,” in the Seattle University newspaper here.
- Feast of St. Francis – October – At the garden at Leffler house, prior to the liturgy and Blessing of the Animals, there was an opportunity to learn about composting from Nyema Clark of Nurturing Roots and the City of Seattle’s Master Composter/Sustainability Steward Program. Healthy snacks and refreshments were provided.
- Meal Prep for Edible Hope – September – Each day Edible Hope serves up to 120 meals a day. Saint Mark’s 20s & 30s helped prep for their meal service with other young adults from St. Luke’s Ballard. Tasks varied according to the menu but there were lots of opportunities to chop, dice and season food. [Picture below, left.]
- Breakfast at Edible Hope – July – Young adults from Saint Mark’s Cathedral and St. Luke’s, Ballard served breakfast to our unsheltered neighbors in Ballard. Learn more about Edible Hope or consider purchasing an item from their Amazon Wish List.
- Tent City and 20s/30s Meal Night – July – Saint Mark’s Cathedral hosted Tent City on campus and provided hot meals on Sunday evenings. In July, 20s/30s members and Tent City Captain Connor Harrison prepared and served a meal for Tent City friends. [Picture below, right.]
Collaborations
- Dinner with the Bishop for Diocesan 20s & 30s – June – at Diocesan House in the historic Leary Mansion; the team from Nurturing Roots Farm catered the meal
- Juneteenth Celebration – June – The team from Nurturing Roots Farm shared seeds and herbs at a Juneteenth celebration at Saint Mark’s Cathedral
- Cathedral Day at Saint Mark’s – April – The team from Nurturing Roots Farm participated in the Diocese of Olympia celebration with a smoothie bike experience!
Our Dig Deeper Partner, Nyema Clark, In the News…
‘They just need land’: young farmers struggle to find affordable acreage
The Guardian, April 22, 2023
Between 1910 and 1997, Black farmers lost approximately 90% of the farmland they owned. To this day…Black farmers continue to be exploited by local-level credit lenders, making it difficult for them to access and maintain ownership of land. Today, 97% of farmland is owned by white people. These systemic barriers make it disproportionately challenging for young Black farmers to access land and capital.
Dig Deeper Goals:
- Listen deeply and participate in transformative work of urban farming regardless of experience or background (Way of Love, “Go”).
- Take time to pause, listen and consider how food practices can reflect Christ in how we cultivate diversity, stewardship and support the land (Way of Love, “Turn”).
- Create time to dwell intentionally with God in Creation (Way of Love, “Pray”).
- Reflect on scripture that connects to the restoration of loving, liberating, life-giving relationships with all of Creation (Way of Love, “Learn”).
- Put love into action by working alongside those in our community who are participating in this work already, to bring good news to our neighbors for conversation and fellowship (Way of Love, “Bless”).
Get in touch
Questions? Interested in learning more? Email Emily Meeks
Sign up for our mailing lists:
- Circles of Color
- Creation Care & Climate Justice
- Young Adults at Saint Mark’s Cathedral
- Young Adults in the Diocese
Episcopal Church-Farm Collaboratives in Western Washington
- Food Bank Farm – Holy Cross, Redmond – Contact: The Rev. Jim Eichner
- Gifts of Dirt Garden – Grace, Bainbridge Island – Contact: Pegge Ashcroft
- Harbor Roots Farm – Chaplains on the Harbor, Grays Harbor County – Contact: The Rev. Cedar (Sarah) Monroe
Do you know of an Episcopal Church-Farm Collaborative that you would like to share here? Email Valerie Reinke
More Related Links
- Black Farmers Collective
- Community Alliance for Global Justice – Food Justice Project
- Earth Ministry: Washington Interfaith Power & Light
- Good News Gardens
- Spoon, Spade Soul – Podcast
- The Church Council of Greater Seattle – Faith Land Initiative
