The Quicken Loans Community DIFF team recently had the opportunity to dig in at the Capuchin Earthworks Urban Farm in Detroit, to make a difference in their community, and came away with a much better understanding of what it means to be a part of a movement for food sovereignty. Food sovereignty is the people’s democratic control of the food system, the right of all people to healthy, culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.

At Earthworks Urban Farm, team members spent a hot Saturday morning harvesting vegetables including pea pods, potatoes and garlic, as well as cultivating, weeding and spreading mulch. This was not just a morning of hard work, getting dirty and team building. It was also a lesson in the great work being done through Earthworks Urban Farm to build a just, beautiful food system through education, inspiration, and community development.

At the end of our shift, it was easy to see that all of the Community DIFF volunteers left inspired enlightened and humbled to be a small part of such an important cause. Many of the volunteers purchased some of the vegetables they harvested, as well as fresh jam for a small fee. My family and I loved cooking and eating the fresh food from the garden we had just worked in all morning. It was a perfect way to end a wonderful afternoon.

Quicken Loans and its family of companies congratulates the great work that the Capuchin Earthworks Urban Farm does and all of their efforts and looks forward to returning in the near future. For more information on volunteering at Earthworks Urban Farm, visit: www.cskdetroit.org/ewg.