The project will initially establish a food forest at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus of Montgomery College at the corner of Philadelphia and Chicago Avenues. The food forest will nurture a deeper understanding of food production and food sovereignty, engaging students in the planting and stewardship of the food forest. It will also become a sustainable source of food for the college's student population, which suffers high levels of food insecurity. And it will become a space for community and college engagement, recreation and education.  Two additional areas on the campus will be developed in the years ahead.

The Montgomery College project began in 2023. We worked with five permaculture designers who each took on the design of a portion of the 20,000 square foot site. Our lead designers then combined the designs, ensuring the various elements flowed together. One of the design teams was Montgomery College’s newly formed Permaculture Club, which was established once we secured permission to install the food forest.

The Club has been instrumental in leading efforts at the site while engaging the student population. It plans to add a seed library, a composting system, an art mural, and educational signage to the site.