Today we’d like to introduce you to Fatiha Malik-Adams.
Hi Fatiha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story is one of many peaks and valleys and I’m blessed to be able to share it. It all began when I was a child. I watched my late father and mother feed many families through their after school program which was a non-profit. I never realized how much of a profound impact it had on me until I was an adult- started raising my own family, and realized the importance of food sovereignty.
As a native New Yorker, the thought never crossed my mind to grow my own food. However, living in NC has opened my eyes to the possibilities. During Covid I felt a strong desire to learn how to grow my own food and develop a deeper relationship with nature. There were multiple reasons for this, but mostly because access to nutrient dense food is the number one way to building healthy communities. I started learning about how the food we’re consuming is affecting our health on so many levels and honestly, the more I learned, the more skeptical I became.
So I decided to become a certified natural health consultant, enrolled in a public health program, studied permaculture principles, and began practicing foodscaping. As I embarked on this journey I felt inclined to share my learnings with my family, and community.
After my father passed in early 2022, I decided to revitalize the non-profit and add more layers to it. This organization is about providing access, education, provision, and resources to underserved communities who need it most. It’s a beautiful marriage between my parent’s legacy, and my passion for being of service to my community through self-less acts. Providing provision and nourishment for local families is something I take pride in and even on a small scale- know that it makes a big difference for those in need.
A few years ago, we purchased a produce stand and started offering self-serve produce, plants, and firewood to our local community. Throughout this process we’ve also built an online presence and shipped across half of the U.S.
Because we are limited in regard to our acreage we work diligently to build partnerships with organic and regenerative farmers to ensure we can provide nutrient dense specialty food to our community.
Some of our community-based work includes working with Durham Parks and Rec in their Adopt-a-Garden program. We recently launched GOHA Gives Back to help elderly and disabled members in the community prepare their gardens for growing season. We are members of the Barter Business Exchange in NC, we piloted the First Muslim Farmer’s Market a few years ago, and have worked with various community gardens such as Inter-faith Food shuttle to maintain the grounds, and partake in environmental stewardship.
One thing is for sure this journey has been liberating and gratifying! I’m blessed to work alongside my husband who is a professional landscaper, and learn from him while pursuing a passion of mine. What more could I ask for?!
Right now we are working on building out more exciting initiatives to sustain a stronger presence within our community. The future is bright so keep your eyes and ears peeled for GOHA_NC!
Follow us on Facebook at Grow Our Health and IG @growourhealthalliance
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road by any stretch of the imagination. We’ve had to start over many times and figure things out. My health declined a few years ago and it was a very dire situation, so that was a huge obstacle for me. Also, being able to find suppliers who are willing to donate their excess harvest to our stand has been difficult at times. We would love to get more community support and traffic to our stand which is located Cary, NC.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a professional Technical Writer, an Independent Patient Advocate, a natural health consultant, and an Assistant Manager at The Vitamin Shoppe.
I’m most proud of myself for presenting at a conference recently and reciting my poetry in front of a large audience. It was awesome! As someone who shys away from public speaking I now anticipate doing more.
The thing that sets me apart from others is my motivation, vision, resilience, creativity and ingenuity.
How do you think about happiness?
I enjoy being in my garden and watching it flourish. It’s my sacred space. I also feel happiest when with my family, traveling, eating good food, and shopping!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://openfoodnetwork.net/grow-our-health-alliance/shop
- Instagram: @Growourhealthalliance
- Facebook: Grow our health
