Let them Eat Cake (for Charity)

Meet our lovely friend Marion! She loves baking. And she cares about promoting the slow food movement + preserving good homemade foods made with quality ingredients. These are all things we love about Marion! But back in spring, she gave us a reason to love her even more… she started a project to help fund our farm and support our educational classes!

‘My Little Baking Project’ started as a way for Marion to reconnect with all the recipes she loved from her childhood, and support a good cause at the same time. Every other week she whips up a new specialty and brings these fresh home-baked cakes, breads, or pastries into her office for her colleagues to enjoy as part of an informal bake sale. (You can see some examples of past delicacies below!)

When she first asked SWAG Project about being her charity of choice, she explained, ‘It makes me happy to see people enjoying food in good company. And I want to do something meaningful for our community, and other communities, so that everyone has a chance to enjoy good food.’ Marion wanted to make sure that she funded a project that focused on bringing affordable food to its surrounding community AND educated kids on how to grow their own food and what to do with it afterwards.

Marion’s weekly treats focus on using good seasonal ingredients, but also on bringing to life the childhood treats she remember eating with her family growing up in Germany. Think of it as a cultural exchange with a double bottom line + reward. Her office mates get a ‘sweet tooth’ fix to get them through the week and the funds go to educational and farming supplies for the SWAG Young Farmers program! While she warns her friends that not all her techniques are perfected yet, we think this is a pretty sweet deal!

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake)

Sachertorte (Famous Austrian Chocolate Cake)

Meine Mutter’s Apfelkuchen! (Marion’s Mom’s Apple Pie!)

Published by SWAG Project

SWAG Project is an Urban Farm, Food Justice and Community Building project in the Weequahic district of Newark, NJ Mission SWAG Project uses urban agriculture in the South Ward of Newark to create strong bonds of community among a diverse team of people who all care deeply about health and food justice. In addition, our diverse team helps impact the neighborhood by educating students and neighbors and by restoring and farming under-utilized urban spaces. Company Overview Planting Seeds of Hope is an initiative of The Fund for an Open Society. Fund is focused on building and sustaining racially and socioeconomically integrated communities; and -following that goal - PSH initiatives use urban agriculture as a way to create common bonds between diverse people. The project is run as a partnership between the Planting Seeds of Hope, Amplify Consulting and the local community. Amplify is an urban planning and anti- hunger consultancy focused on using food as a tool for community development. Description SWAG Project is an Urban Farm, Food Justice and Community Building project in the South Ward of Newark. We are dedicated to providing community food access and increasing educational and economic opportunities for local residents. We provide fresh and healthy foods to the local community of Newark's South Ward and work to empower residents to take control of their local food system and health. The farm and community center is open to all local residents and visitors as a place to relax or volunteer. Participation in all our events is welcome and we invite all local residents and members of local schools and universities to get involved. We have regular volunteer and open gardening days, as well as harvest and shared community meals. Starting in fall the site will also offer community nutrition and cooking courses, as well as information on food justice and empowerment. The site was generously donated by First Tabernacle to the local community and schools as a place of learning, environmental sustainability, and for the production of local fresh foods. The project is run as a partnership between the non-profit Planting Seeds of Hope, Amplify consulting, the First Tabernacle team, and local residents! We partner with both local schools, Peshine Avenue School and TEAM Charter, as well as multiple other city offices, local non-profits and businesses and university teams! Email or FB message us to learn about the Farmer's Market, Volunteering, Enrichment Visits, Events, or Contributions. View more posts