Since its founding in 2007, Birdhouse has always had a bit of whimsy about it. We began as a green vision of food focused projects where folks could find creative ways to feed themselves and their families well.
William Byrd Community House (WBCH) in Oregon Hill was the original home of Birdhouse. Its farmers market, Byrd House Market (BHM), always knew that healthy food is the best fuel and should be fun and accessible to everyone. WBCH established a network of food related projects with the farmers market serving as the hub. From it, a community garden, mini farm, cooking and nutritional education classes were spawned. Everyone was welcome and everyone could participate wherever they had an interest. From the beginning, SNAP/EBT could be used at the market and benefits were doubled, allowing greater accessibility for food insecure families. From the start, only local foods grown in Virginia could be sold in the market in support of our local farmers. From day one, it was a space to learn, grow, and purchase healthy food, a community space alive with music, games, and places to sit and chat.
Then, it was gone….
WBCH closed its doors in the fall of 2015, after 93 years as a social service organization. A small group of BHM farmers and residents were determined that the vision would continue. The WBCH program reorganized itself as Birdhouse Farmers Market with the same goal of making food accessible to all while supporting our local farmers in our new home in Randolph, just a few blocks west of Oregon Hill.
Since May 2016, Birdhouse is located in Petronius Jones Park, adjacent to the Randolph Community Center. Our new location allowed us to expand a little and offer additional opportunities for healthy eating but with the same quirky attitude that makes us a little different.
In 2020, in response to the pandemic, we added an online shopping option providing customers, including SNAP recipients with consistent access to local foods, year-round. Folks with mobility issues or scheduling conflicts can now order online and pick up their orders using our curbside option, while farmers and food producers have a place to sell their goods through the winter.
In 2021 Birdhouse Farmers Market became an independent, 501c4 non-profit!
We broke ground on Birdhouse Community Garden (BCG) in November, 2022. The garden was designed and installed by community members and continues to serve as an educational community resource for children and adults throughout the year. Unlike traditional community gardens with individuals renting out plots, BCG is a communal garden for and by the community.
Our Garden Educator leads Learn and Work Days every Saturday and a weekly children’s garden club (Spouts and Blooms) through the Randolph Community Center, enabling anyone with the interest, a place to learn and grow food. The garden also has accessible gardens for seniors or those with mobility issues. Anyone is welcome to harvest from the garden and share the food with family and friends.
In 2024 we added a small greenhouse, allowing us to extend the season a little and propagate a few plants. BCG hosts free and very affordable workshops on a variety of food and gardening topics throughout the year and we host community focused services like bike repair and yoga classes in the garden.
We anticipate solar panels and a mobile kitchen in our future and perhaps a mini farm just down the street.
SNAP and Virginia Fresh Match continued when we moved to Randolph in 2016. From 2023 until 2026, when the funding stopped, our Birdhouse farmers provided more than 80,000 pounds of fresh local produce to our neighborhood food pantry at Second Baptist Church Food Pantry (SBCFP). While the program has now ended our commitment to SBCFP has not. We glean the market every week, providing 100s of pounds of food for the more than 300 weekly customers at the food pantry.
In 2025 in response to the government shutdown, we established Birdhouse Feeds, a program that allows us to help folks with an immediate need for food and help SBCFP provide fresh produce at the food pantry.
Step by step, brick by brick, Birdhouse is reconstructing the vision originally conceived at WBCH.
Our small, but mighty crew of staff and volunteers continue to expand our reach and create a welcoming space while adapting to whatever is required to keep our community well fed and connected with one another.
If you haven’t already, please come by and see us. The garden is always open. The seasonal farmers market is open Tuesdays, 3-6:30 May-November and Birdhouse Online is open year round.