GOLD2023

Shalom Farms

Richmond, VA   |  www.shalomfarms.org

Mission

Shalom Farms is a nonprofit organization working together to build healthy communities by growing and sharing healthy food. We envision a healthier community where everyone has equitable access to nourishing food and meaningful opportunities to grow, choose, cook and enjoy fresh produce.

Ruling year info

1971

Executive Director

Anna Ibrahim

Main address

1010 West Laburnum Avenue

Richmond, VA 23227 USA

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EIN

23-7136747

NTEE code info

Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs (C60)

Food Service, Free Food Distribution Programs (K30)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Mobile Market

Our Mobile Market provides weekly pop-up farm stands in communities with limited access to fresh, local produce. Launched in 2016, the market visits 15 locations each week from June to November, including low-income senior housing communities, community health clinics, and Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) communities. The Mobile Market directly connects families with an affordable source of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as community resources to maximize the benefits of a healthy diet.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people

Our Produce Rx Program (formerly Prescription Produce Plan) equips participants to live healthy lives by providing educational resources and supports to increase the use of fresh produce. We partner with healthcare providers like Bon Secours, Health Brigade and the VCU Richmond Health & Wellness Program to provide cohorts of this evidence-based program. Shalom Farms provides weekly prescriptions of fresh produce and our staff meets with participants for cooking and nutrition education classes.

Population(s) Served
Chronically ill people

The food-at-home (grocery store or supermarket food purchases) consumer price index is now measuring 12.4 percent higher than in October 2021, and it is predicted that in 2023 food prices will increase between 3.0 and 4.0 percent. Record inflation is putting a strain on households across the country, and more families than ever before are seeking emergency food assistance via food banks, food pantries, and community kitchens. Our Nutrition Distribution Program provides fresh produce to food pantries, feeding programs, and mutual aid groups across the city to ensure that everyone has access to fresh, healthy options, regardless of their income or ability to pay.

Population(s) Served
Families
Economically disadvantaged people
Unemployed people

Our Community Food Skills Education classes provide participants with easy to use kitchen skills to help take their healthy cooking to the next level. In partnership with community centers and other nonprofit organizations, our Food Skills Education classes engage youth, adults, and seniors in positive experiences preparing healthy meals. Our curriculum includes lessons on building kitchen confidence and time saving strategies to help eliminate barriers to healthy eating. We do not track participant demographics by race; rather, we work in partnership with specific community partners and organizations who serve low-income populations, and aim to serve youth, adults, and senior citizens within target neighborhoods, such as the East End and Southside, where instances of food insecurity and poverty are high.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people

On the farms, we recognize the enormous opportunity our large-scale volunteer program has provided us with. We have created robust curricula for both volunteers and K-12 field trips, which covers topics such as food apartheid, sustainable agriculture practices, composting, soil health, and nutrition. Additionally, we offer learning resources through a curated “Little Free Library” on the farm, and have plans to launch an online resource library, which will include downloadable content available free of charge. We offer workshops in the Spring and Fall to individuals participating in our Lead Volunteer Program (usually 60-75 folks dedicated to volunteering once or more a week for the duration of the season). Past topics have included bee keeping, greenhouse growing techniques, whole-farm planning and crop rotation, and at-home composting.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Children and youth
Adults
Children and youth

Where we work

Accreditations

Service Enterprise 2018

Affiliations & memberships

Service Enterprise 2018

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Shalom Farms serves individuals, families, youth, and senior citizens living in census tracts of dense poverty across the city of Richmond.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    In 2022, our Mobile Market customer survey indicated that shoppers would like to see changes to the program. These changes included extended market hours, evening and weekend markets, and the inclusion of dairy, meat, and value added products. In 2023, our Mobile Market will implement all of these changes.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

Shalom Farms
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Shalom Farms

Board of directors
as of 03/07/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Sharon Blount


Board co-chair

Johanna Gattuso

Grassroots Health Advisors

Term: 2023 - 2026

Eric Clay

Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond

Whitney Van Der Hyde

Community Volunteer

Patricia Sauer

Community Volunteer

Jennifer Wicker

Virginia Healthcare and Hospital Association

Helen Ragazzi

Active Health Management

Darren Broughton

Altria

Sharon Blount

Community Volunteer

Johanna Gattusso

Grassroots Health Advisors, LLC

Steve Russo

Community Volunteer

Tamara Young-Elmore

Community Volunteer

Elesha Belke

Capital One

Isabel Eljaiek

Community Foundation for a greater Richmond

Jeff Fender

Performance Food Group

Linda Georgiadis

Community Volunteer

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/7/2023

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Gender identity
Female

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 03/07/2023

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.