Oakland

The Oakland Seaport started up in 1927, and Oakland is now the fifth busiest container port in the U.S., but growth has taken a toll. Three freeways seal off the historic port community of West Oakland from the larger Bay Area. Tankers, tugs, passenger and cargo ships, and thousands of heavy trucks travel daily through the area, which has some of the highest rates of asthma in California. West Oakland’s 25,000 residents lack access to a major grocery store, and many must shop for fresh produce in liquor stores and fast food chains.

Since 2010, In Good Company has partnered with City Slicker Farms (CSF), a leader in local food justice. We built much of the infrastructure for the 1.4-acre West Oakland Farm Park, a former brownfield site that CSF has worked hard to transform into a community park and urban farm. We cut, hammered, and sawed some essentials (three market stands, a woodshop, a classroom, and a toolshed). Volunteers also teamed up alongside local residents to grow the size and number of community and backyard gardens, raised beds, chicken coops, and composters. We’ve been lucky to work with cutting-edge nonprofits, too, planting a test-model bamboo forest (designed to filter diesel particulates in the air) with Urban Biofilter, and installing solar panels on neighborhood housing with GRID Alternatives. In 2019, we partnered with Planting Justice to build a 30-foot yurt and two pergolas, spaces where youth will learn about nutrition and food justice.

We kicked back too, hosting annual soul-food dinners at Brown Sugar Kitchen (world famous for its fried chicken and cornmeal waffles). West Oakland’s history came to life inside its landmark 16th Street Station, where we celebrated our efforts with a triple-chocolate cake (baked by one of our very own IGCers). Local In Good Company alums have returned to visit old friends, build 14 ADA-accessible garden beds, install an irrigation system, and deliver six (hand-painted!) bee boxes to keep City Slicker’s bees abuzzin’.

6 projects over 5 years with City Slicker Farms

4792 volunteer hours

1 chocolate-on-chocolate-on-chocolate chocolate cake

Impact/Community Partner

“What I love is that, every year, folks from In Good Company come to us and say, 'What do you need? What will help you do your work better?' For me, it was a bit of a dream to be able to say, 'Wow, we could use an additional greenhouse, more work space, better work tables, better flow.' Just to be able to say all those things out loud and to have it be heard and have people say, 'We want to support that. We will give our money, we will give our time, our energy to make that thing happen. And not only will we make it happen, we’ll make it happen really beautifully.”' I love what it’s going to enable us to do. We’ll be able to increase our production and help people of West Oakland with more and more plants to grow more and more food.”

Julie, City Slicker Farms

Impact/In Good Company Volunteers

“I was a stranger to my own backyard of West Oakland. It brought me an awareness of the struggles of the community that I previously did not fully grasp. It also showed me how powerful of a community-builder growing food can be. Oftentimes we look for complicated answers to complex issues. Growing food and bringing people together to celebrate healthy local nutrition is a powerful and simple tool anyone can use.”

Keith, Numi Tea

“This experience took me back to my early grade school years, when everyone helped each other and pulled together to complete a project, not caring about gender or complexion of the person next to you as you grasp their hand in laughter.”

Keiyanna, Timberland

“I have lived in San Francisco for 10 years and my experience and knowledge of West Oakland was practically nothing before this experience. I really enjoyed learning about this neighborhood that is only a few miles from my doorstep. What I feel San Francisco is starting to lack, a deep sense of community, I definitely felt is still thriving in West Oakland. The City Slicker project alone is something that was created for and by the community. Participating in such an important cause and contributing a week of my time and effort was an experience I will never forget.”

Lauren, Alter Eco