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In 2000, Weavers Way Co-op and member Norma Brooks established Weavers Way's Mort Brooks Memorial Farm in honor of her late husband, a pivotal figure in the early years of Weavers Way.

Co-op members had given generously to a memorial fund, and from that, the garden grew.

It began as a volunteer-tended garden patch on a piece of land that hadn't been farmed in 50 years. It was to be a place where adults and children could learn about organic gardening and connect with their food by getting their hands dirty. The scope of the farm grew steadily and it began to generate enough produce to be sold in the Weavers Way Co-op.

In 2007, Weavers Way farm expanded production with the addition of an adjacent plot of land, nearly tripling the size of the farm. As the farm has expanded production, it has also expanded its educational mission. In the spring of 2007, Weavers Way Co-op created Weavers Way Community Programs to help administer the Co-op's nonprofit programs, including an innovative Marketplace Program. This partnership invites students from seven local schools to buy healthy, locally produced products at cost from Weavers Way Co-op, then package, price and sell them to students and teachers. At the end of the school year, the students donate the profit to worthy causes of their choice.

Weavers Way is also looking at partnering with the city to cultivate lands surrounding historic properties, and is exploring other ways to foster and support local farming in Philadelphia.

Learn more about Weavers Way Co-op at www.weaversway.coop.