Durham Grown: The Durham County Library Garden Club
A Full Circle Reality Founded in Resilience
Reclaiming an old, neglected farmstead that was a former plantation that had not been touched in over 70 years has not been an easy task for this young minority founded and led nonprofit known as Urban Community AgriNomics. Take a look at what they have been able to accomplish through a deep passion for positive change, community engagement and resilience, in less than seven years, when their journey began on January 13, 2018. Join Delphine Sellars of Urban Community AgriNomics (UCAN) as they share the history of the property, their mission, gardens, nurturing of the land and more. From Access to Ownership.
Delphine Sellars is currently the Executive Director of Urban Community AgriNomics. She is the retired Director of the Durham Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Management from Pfeiffer University, and an undergraduate degree in Social Studies from NCCU. Mrs. Sellars has 30+ years of experience in social and human services. Positions held both past and present include Community Outreach Coordinator, Social Worker, Adult Vocational School Director and Employment Specialist.
Urban Community AgriNomics' (UCAN) mission is to reduce food insecurity, reduce and reverse preventable health issues, increase academic success, and increase exposure to career opportunities in the field of agriculture. UCAN focus is to improve the health and wellbeing of our community by providing education and trainings on healthy lifestyles, seed-to-table food preparation and preservation, hands on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) and organic agriculture. We empower families and individuals with access to resources to grow their own healthy food using sustainable practices, in a supportive environment.
They thrive to create an environment where individuals can learn to grow their own food, enjoy the healing effects of access to open green spaces, explore the history of the land, and recognize all who have labored on it through the years. Our work is manifested through a lens of diversity, inclusion, environmental and social justice, and the belief that each of us plays a role in abating and reducing climate change. Healthy People Need a Healthy Earth! Our services and programs involve the spectrum of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM).
Urban Community AgriNomics (UCAN) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded April 29th, 2016, by sisters, Delphine Godley Sellars and Lucille Godley Patterson. This organization reflects their desire to engage the community of Northern Durham with skills based in agriculture and providing a place for those within the community to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. UCAN has donated over 60,000lbs of fresh vegetables and fruits, through local harvesting and gleaning events sponsored by the Society of St. Andrews.
