Save the Bay - Winter 2015

When students arrive at CBF’s Clagett Farm, they’re asked: Where does your food come from? Their responses often range from: “The refrigerator,” to “the store,” and sometimes, “My mom!” These answers change after a day spent exploring Clagett.

Since 1982, CBF’s Clagett Farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has served as a model farm, demonstrating sustainable agricultural practices for farmers, consumers, and students alike. Spread out over 285 acres fifteen miles from Washington, D.C., the organic farm produces 50,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, beef, and lamb each year. Half of the produce is sold through a Community Supported Agriculture program, while the other half is donated to families in need through a partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank.

This year, Clagett Farm was selected to receive
a generous grant from Kaiser Foundation
Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc.
Kaiser, an integrated health delivery system
providing care to more than 614,000 people
in the mid-Atlantic area, has a long history of
environmental stewardship. Under the guid-
ing principle that a healthy environment is
critical to human health, the organization has
invested in wind and solar energy, signifi-
cantly reduced waste from their centers and
hospitals, and begun implementing water-
saving measures like collecting rainwater. To
complement these efforts, Kaiser also pro-
motes sustainable farming by supporting
organizations like CBF, and sponsoring farm-
ers markets at some of their centers.

“Increasing access to healthy foods is at the core of our ‘total health’ mission,” says Maritha Gay, Kaiser’s Executive Director of External Affairs and Community Benefit. She adds that this is just one way that the organization strives to encourage better health for all people who live in the communities that Kaiser serves.

With the support of Kaiser, Clagett Farm will
feed approximately 550 local families this
year, including 200 low-income families from
the Washington Metro area. In addition, the
farm will welcome more than 3,000 visitors,
helping to foster a better understanding of
the connection between land use, water qual-
ity, and public health—spreading the knowl-
edge that you can help save the Bay with
what you put on your plate.
u CBF is grateful for the support of Kaiser
Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic
States, Inc. For more information about CBF’s
partnership with Kaiser, please visit cbf.org/kp
u For more information about CBF’s Clagett
Farm, visit cbf.org/clagett.

Our Giving Community
CBF’s Clagett Farm in Upper Marlboro, Maryland,
produces 50,000 pounds of fresh fruits and veg-
etables, beef, and lamb each year, of which half
is donated to the Capital Area Food Bank.
FRED DELVENTHAL