“i am the grocery store,” said hall, who sells his products on top of folding tables and from his truck at a discounted price on the corner of south capitol st. sw and brandywine st. se every afternoon.

hall works in a neighborhood that is considered a food desert. the closure of good food market in november 2022, just one year after opening, brought residents of anacostia and congress heights back to having slim pickings. the grocery stores giant and safeway, on alabama ave. se, are the only full-service stores in the surrounding area. for some people in these neighborhoods, the trip to either store could be at least a 20-minute bus ride.

according to capital area food bank’s hunger heat map, there are 2,431 estimated food insecure households in this area – which is 98% higher than in the rest of the dmv. there are approximately 3,843 food insecure adults, according to their data.

though hall does not sell perishable food, members of the community said he can get them these items when necessary.

“terry’s been helping me every single day. he helped me not steal from people and if i need anything he helps me, if it comes down to food, clothing or anything. he helps me and he helps this community a lot,” said damontre long, a young man who lives right around hall’s store. “i set up stuff for him and he gives me jobs to keep me out of trouble.”

long is not the only young member of the community positively impacted by hall. jessica jankes, another ward 8 resident, said her 11-year-old daughter worked for hall last summer. “she sold merchandise and talked to customers. she did everything. terry does a lot for the kids and the community.” 

hall also provides incentives for the kids to do well in school. when they come to him with good grades on their report cards, hall gifts them with candy or dollar bills, he said.

“he is a good man. he always has things for my daughter and he’s always helping the kids. if you run out of stuff, he makes sure you get it,” said dechell blackeney, who lives in congress heights and is the mother of a 3-year-old girl whom hall always helps. “last friday, he even had fried fish friday and he cooked and gave to the community.”

hall said he can save people the time and money it takes to pick up a few necessary items.

“i’ve been here in this spot every day for 20 years. i deal with people who really, really need me,” he said. 

he sells a plethora of products, varying from personal hygiene to household cleaning products and even clothing. he takes cash only for payment, he said.

“i come here all the time. sometimes i got to get something and need it right away and i come here instead of the grocery store,” said violet council, a member of the congress heights community. “you don’t got to take bus after bus after bus. he got all the stuff right here.”

according to hall, his only goal is to give back to this community, where he grew up and still lives. however, he has also faced some difficulties. he said his truck with thousands of dollars worth of products was once stolen and that some people have tried to take advantage of him and his store, but that is not enough to stop him.  

hall said he buys the products from large, full-service stores in either virginia or the district. he said he purchases them with the money he has saved and invested over the years from working several jobs simultaneously, in addition to his social security income and donations.

“i just keep turning my money over and over again. but some people donate, which is really helpful, because i lower my price to make products affordable here in the community,” hall said.

donations and visitors are welcomed by hall. to donate, get in touch with hall’s assistant, jessica, at 202-892-9305.

the farm’s growing season lasts from march to october, during which the space is open and hosts a plethora of health and wellness activities for the community, said charles rominiyi, the well’s program manager.

according to dc greens, a nonprofit organization that works to advance health equity and build a more resilient food system, the well harvested more than 4,000 pounds of fresh produce for the local community in 2023.

community members are allowed to plant and pick produce during the well’s hours of operation.

breaking new ground

dc greens opened the well in june 2022. “it was really a collaboration by community members, government agencies, and nonprofit agencies who dreamt of a space where community members could come and reconnect with nature, the land, and take wellness classes,” rominiyi said.

washington, d.c.’s ward 8 councilmember trayon white was one of the well’s largest donors, rominiyi said.

councilmember white said he has been working on ways to curb food insecurity in anacostia and the well was a way of doing that.

“we’re looking to bring in more grocery options to the ward, especially healthy grocery options, but it’s becoming tougher. we put a lot of energy, in the last couple of years, into the well at oxon run, a state-of-the-art community farm. it’s probably one of the biggest community farms in the city and in ward 8,” white said.  

cultivating community

this year, march 18 marked the well’s opening week, for which there were several on-site events. there was a seed giveaway, a “plant a seedling” workshop, a senior lunch, tours of the well and a community volunteering day — all shared with the community through the dc greens newsletter.

rominiyi said the events had a great turnout, with attendance varying from 20 to 50 people per event. “opening week was great. it’s really when we can get everyone excited and let the community know about all our plans for the year. we think it was a great success,” rominiyi said.

when entering the well, people are greeted by mimi the tree, which stands as a witness to the success of the community through the years, even in the face of adversity, rominiyi said. when the land was being excavated, the original plans were to cut the tree down. however, community members wanted to preserve this hundred-year-old sycamore oak tree as a reminder of how far the well has come, rominiyi said.

“we ask the community what we should grow, and we grow what they ask us to,” rominiyi said.

greatness on the horizon

according to the well’s farm manager, kenneth bridgers, the farm has eight growing fields scattered across the space which grow various foods such as bok choy and kale in the spring, strawberries and figs in the summer, and swiss chard, and snap peas throughout the year, among other crops. 

most of the seeds are provided by johnny’s seeds, a national seed provider, but members of the community can also drop off seeds at the farm’s seed exchange bench, rominiyi said.

the well is not the only community farm in anacostia, according to rominiyi. however, what makes the well unique is that the staff also conducts wellness and peace programs, which engages the community in several ways, such as in the youth section of the farm, rominiyi said.

“we partner with the green scheme, which brings young people to the well to use the youth garden beds, learn about environmental literacy, environmental sustainability and environmental justice,” rominiyi said.

another unique aspect of the well is the programming pavilion, the structure of which allows for rainwater collection during the off season. the staff treats this rainwater and uses it to water plants in the greenhouse when the well is closed to the public, rominiyi said.

“i’ve been here since the start and we’ve seen tremendous growth in engagement. we can’t wait for all the great things that are happening this season,” said bridgers.