hollygrove-neighbors-association-scaled-1-1024683
hollygrove-neighbors-association-scaled-1-1024683

New Orleans, Louisiana

Hollygrove Neighbors Association

The Hollygrove Neighbors Association (HNA) was founded in 2005 to inform and engage its diverse New Orleans, LA community on ways to collaborate and build coalitions after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Committed to keeping Hollygrove sustainable, strong and vibrant, HNA works with Peace by Piece New Orleans to mobilize Black youth and young adults through political education and community organizing. They support the Hollygrove Community Garden, which serves as a gathering space for youth and neighbors to gain access to healthy and organic produce. Since 2018, the garden has distributed more than 5,100 pounds of produce, such as watermelon, sweet potatoes, and a variety of greens; hosted community food shares for 790 residents; registered 60 youth for free Peace by Piece summer camps, where they learn neighborhood history, Black history, methods of sustainability; and provided paid internships for 21 youth to support Peace by Piece programming.

Dee Dee Green, HNA Board Member, speaking at a press conference for the release of the Climate Action and Equity Report in September 2019 at the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

For the past five years, Peace by Piece New Orleans has worked with Hollygrove Neighbors Association to increase local, fresh food access. CFreedom Photography.

Hollygrove residents run HNA’s projects and activities and act as the group’s board of directors. One of the board members is Dee Dee Green, who is also the area program director for American Friends Service Committee New Orleans, one of HSA’s partners. HSA also collaborates with St. Peter A.M.E. Church to maintain and extend the community garden project. The project has expanded to a schoolyard, vacant lots, and a greenhouse for year-round growing and has established a community refrigerator where frozen and perishable food is stocked and available for free. In addition to sustainably grown food and donated hams and turkeys, HNA distributes helpful information. Its active Facebook page alerts members to neighborhood litter cleanups, back-to-school giveaways, and holiday events, as well as candidate forums, community office hours when they can speak with city personnel and information sessions. Neighbors help each other in making a more economically and climate-resilient community.

In July 2020, Peace by Piece and Hollygrove Neighbors Association hosted a food giveaway—providing 250 residents with fresh produce, hot meals, and turkeys. CFreedom Photography.

Contact
Dee Dee Green, Area Program Director American Friends Service Committee New Orleans
Climate impacts
Flooding
Strategies
Community Farm/Gardens, Halting Bad Development, Nature-Based Solutions, Renewable Energy
501c3 Tax Deductible
Yes
Accepting Donation
No