2026 has been a powerful year at Iglesias Garden! After over a decade of land stewardship and struggle, we officially gained legal ownership of 14 more garden lots, which were held in the Land Bank and almost sold off for development in 2019. We launched the Philadelphia Land Stewards Union, which now has over 180 dues paying members, united to fight for each others’ lots! We’ve a hosted a Block Party and backpack give away, hosted potluck meals for our neighbors and volunteers, film screenings, art-making workshops, planted and maintained our fence-less community garden filled with native flowers, fruit trees, and vegetables.
Amidst this work, every other Saturday, we feed our neighbors through our free grocery program, Bodega Libre! We distribute fresh produce and pantry staples to our North Philly neighbors, feeding about 60 families each Bodega Libre Saturday. During the holiday season we provide special holiday themed foods people like to share on their table with family. We source ingredients for all the holiday favorites like mac and cheese, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, and a variety of meats. We always work to be fair with the people who benefit from our program. We have an internal culture of “what’s good for me, is good for you.” It’s run by neighbors, for neighbors. Over the past few years, Bodega Saturdays have become a beloved staple in the neighborhood and a resource many count on. It’s always a morning of camaraderie and joy, as folks wait in line, catch up and see what we’ve got that week.
We are raising $15k by the end of the year to support Bodega Libre in 2027!
We need your help to keep feeding our neighbors! With cuts to SNAP and other social safety programs, resources like this – for neighbors, by neighbors – are both more important and harder to come by. Please make a donation to our Together We Flourish fundraiser and share with your networks! Any amount helps!
Please join us at our Launch of Voy a cultivar la tierra!
Another way to support us, is joining us on November 8 at Ulises Books for our Launch Party and Panel for Voy a cultivar la tierra, a photo book years in the making, by HoJun Yu. This book serves as a visual archive of Iglesias Garden and our neighborhood. It displays photos taken over several years, accompanied by interviews with community members about their memories of the neighborhood, the changes they’ve observed, and their hopes for the area’s future in the face of threats from developers and profiteers. You can order a copy here, to be mailed to you or picked up at the launch. Or you can purchase a copy at the event, where you’ll also hear from long time land stewards, our organizers and HoJun.
Your support means so much to us! We hope to see you at the photo book launch. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!
Love and solidarity as always,
Iglesias garden crew
