Raleigh City Farm expands into second location at Marsh Creek Park in partnership with Raleigh Parks
A “before” photo of Raleigh City Farm’s second location at Marsh Creek Park in partnership with the City of Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department.
Raleigh City Farm (RCF), a nonprofit urban farm, founded in 2011 at the corner of Franklin and Blount Streets, is excited to expand to its second location at Marsh Creek Park in partnership with the City of Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department. This additional site will further advance RCF’s mission to “connect and nourish the community through regenerative agriculture” by growing and distributing more healthy produce and engaging surrounding neighbors in hands-on gardening experiences.
Newly developed areas of the 1.5-acre site located at 3050 N. New Hope Road will include a central growing space and teaching garden to complement existing raised beds, pollinator gardens and edible landscaping. Additional amenities will include an outdoor prep and teaching area to support community programming and a farmstand and refrigerated truck for food distribution. The community is invited to an Open House on March 19th to tour the site, meet the Farm Team and learn about volunteer opportunities.
Comments from RCF and COR leadership:
Bryan Vodicka, Board Chair: “The RCF board has worked diligently to evaluate values-aligned partnerships for our second location. A shared passion for expanding our reach into the community accelerated this initiative!"
Lisa Grele Barrie, RCF Executive Director: “We’re thrilled to advance Phase Two of our Future Farms Plan by expanding into Marsh Creek Park so we can increase the impact of our mission and look forward to making new Farm Friends in the neighborhood.”
Jamie Quinn, Marsh Creek Community Center Director: “We’re excited to partner with Raleigh City Farm and leverage their farming expertise so we can make healthy food more affordable and accessible to the surrounding community. This is a win-win-win!”
ABOUT RALEIGH CITY FARM
Raleigh City Farm is a nonprofit urban farm founded in 2011 on a formerly vacant 1.2 acre lot in downtown Raleigh. Our mission is to connect and nourish our community through regenerative agriculture. We advance this by educating and engaging visitors and volunteers in hands-on activities that support the stewardship of our site. Our major program initiatives focus on growing healthy food and making it affordable and accessible and developing the next generation of farmers To learn more, visit www.raleighcityfarm.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
PRESS INQUIRIES
Contact: Lisa Grele Barrie, Executive Director
Phone: 919-605-0478
Email: lisa@raleighcityfarm.org
FUTURE FARMS FUND
You can be a part of growing our second location! When you donate to Raleigh City Farm's "Future Farms Fund," you are supporting:
PEOPLE: Increased team capacity focused on emerging farmers
PROGRAMMING: Activities that educate and engage the community
PRACTICES: Regenerative, climate-resilient farming activities
OPERATIONS: Structures, equipment, supplies and more
Together, we can realize our vision of a healthy community supporting the next generation of farmers.
A HISTORY OF TRANSFORMATION
Transformation is at the heart of our work. From concrete and weeds to thriving rows of produce, we’ve seen what happens when community, creativity, and care meet the soil. Our next chapter at Marsh Creek Park will build on that legacy—turning another empty space into a flourishing hub for local food and learning.
See some of our transformations at our current location on Blount Street over the years:
2010: A view of the vacant lot facing William Peace University where Raleigh City Farm would one day grow!
2020: An aerial image of Raleigh City Farm’s progress over a decade! We turned a vacant lot into a productive, nourishing farm.
2024: We added acreage to our current location on Blount Street and transformed it to vibrant farm space; check out this Blount/Delway Expansion BEFORE and AFTER!