IMG 4489 Fountain Heights Farms Cooperative aims to have 119 farms by 2030 — Community leaders, including co-founders M. Dominique Villanueva (center wearing blue and white) and Chris Gooden (center wearing white), break ground on the new market. (Mary Helene Hall / Bham Now)

It’s been almost 70 years since the Fountain Heights neighborhood has had a grocery store. Now, community leaders and the Fountain Heights Farm Cooperative are setting their plans in motion to fix that.

The cooperative keeps food on the table for families in need by using vacant land as farm plots—there are currently 11, but by 2030, their goal is to have 119.

At the July 9 groundbreaking of the planned grocery store, Heart of the Farm, folks gathered to celebrate the strides Fountain Heights has made in recent years and its plans to further improve the lives of its residents.

Fountain Heights Farms Cooperative co-founder M. Dominique Villanueva delivered emotional remarks as she talked about how far the organization has come and thanked everyone who helped along the way.

“This (cooperative) belongs to every elder who remembers when this neighborhood had a real market and had homes on every lot.

This belongs to every mom who’s like me, who’s juggling bills and still feeding everybody.

This belongs to every child who deserves more than a smoked out corner store and overgrown lots.

This building is proof that we believe in ourselves. It’s a love letter, and it’s a promise made out of concrete and compost and collard greens.”
M. Doninique Villanueva

Fountain Heights Farms currently offers share packages that allow customers to purchase their share of the harvest ahead of time, providing the farmers with the vital funds needed to grow crops. Each week, members of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) receive a box full of produce.

IMG 4461 Fountain Heights Farms Cooperative aims to have 119 farms by 2030 — The farm space located at 1201 16th Street N is overflowing with flowers and other foliage. (Mary Helene Hall / Bham Now)

There is also a discounted option for EBT/SNAP, allowing lower income families the opportunity to get nutritious, farm-fresh produce on their tables. A city partnership is covering 50 CSA subscriptions.

The Heart of the Farm grocery store is expected to launch this year and serve more than 3,000 neighbors.

The space will include areas for local farmers and food producers to store, prepare and sell their goods.

Floor plans at the event showed a compact design that includes porches and a balcony, a market area, a training kitchen, offices and bedrooms.

More about Fountain Heights from Bham Now:

Reconstructing a once-vibrant neighborhood

IMG 4458 Fountain Heights Farms Cooperative aims to have 119 farms by 2030 — Produce from the Fountain Heights Farms Cooperative is sold as part of a CSA to locals, who receive weekly boxes. (Mary Helene Hall / Bham Now)

Fountain Heights has historically faced the brunt of blight, also known as urban decay, particularly once the construction of Interstate 65 took place around the ‘60s and ‘70s. Property values plummeted, and middle- and upper-class Black families started moving away.

Only in the last few decades have efforts begun to start revitalizing the Fountain Heights community with funds from the city and programs like the American Rescue Plan Act following COVID-19—from which Fountain Heights has secured $150,000 through funds allocated to the city.

“We stand on land that was once forgotten—abandoned lots, vacant spaces. But like our community, this is soil rich with possibility. We spent years turning overlooked ground into places of nourishment, resilience and hope…Our work has never just been about food. It’s been about dignity, about access, about creating systems that allow us to take care of ourselves and each other.”
Chris Gooden, Co-Founder of Fountain Heights Farms Cooperative

Attendees and speakers at the groundbreaking spoke with excitement about the potential of Fountain Heights thanks to initiatives like the farm cooperative. Many said they grew up in the neighborhood or had spent most of their lives there.

“We all know the story of Birmingham…We all know the history of 16th Street and how everyday people rally together for our common future. I’m so inspired by that history, so it’s great to celebrate these opportunities to continue to take that history forward.”
Elijah Davis, Co-founder, Historic African-American Neighborhood and District Summit (HAANDS)

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