How a Wilmington nonprofit is cultivating food equity, education and community—one harvest at a time
In the sandy soil just off the southern end of College Road, something remarkable is taking root. Rise Up Community Farm, a nonprofit agricultural initiative founded in 2019, is transforming unused church land into a community resource that feeds bodies and souls.
“I grew up on a beef farm in Virginia with acres of seed corn,” says Mari Carl Fisher, who founded Rise Up with her husband, Daniel. “We took care of each other.”
This ethos of mutual support drives Rise Up’s mission. When Mari Carl arrived at University of North Carolina, Wilmington, to study environmental science, she witnessed food insecurity firsthand through volunteer work with the honors college—a stark contrast to her rural upbringing. The experience became the subject of her honors thesis and eventually blossomed into Rise Up Community Farm.
The journey wasn’t immediate. After graduation, Mari Carl worked at a similar nonprofit farm in Florida where she gained valuable experience in large-scale growing and food bank partnerships. When she moved back to Wilmington with her husband, they felt prepared to launch their own initiative.
The land came through a partnership with Global River Church, which operates the House of Mercy Food Pantry. “They basically said, ‘You can use our land,’” Mari Carl says. The church had attempted garden projects before, but they hadn’t sustained. With Rise Up’s dedicated volunteer support and the church’s resources—including irrigation and compost—the farm found firm footing.
Today, Rise Up operates under the leadership of executive director Elly Colwell, who also is a UNCW grad. The organization has blossomed into a multifaceted community resource with four core pillars: donating food, providing education about regenerative agriculture, building community and practicing sustainability.
“I was always interested in growing food,” says Colwell, who started as a volunteer in 2020.
“Our first harvest always goes to the food pantry,” she says. “Sometimes we have an abundance of radishes and lettuce and might have to find another pantry to donate to.”
Beyond donations, Rise Up offers educational workshops for adults and collaborates with youth organizations and the public schools. One key partnership is with El Cuerpo, a ministry of Christ Community Church that serves Wilmington’s Latino community.
“We started with Rise Up in fall 2023, bringing children to the farm to expose them to new skills,” says Hannah Redenbaugh, elementary tutoring program coordinator at El Cuerpo. “We teach about nutrition, cooking and formulating recipes. The kids have harvested crops before and planted crops.”
This partnership serves multiple needs. Many of the approximately 40 families in El Cuerpo’s tutoring program live in mobile homes with limited yard space.
“We recognize they have small yards and limited access to nature,” says Redenbaugh. “The opportunity to be in a unique natural space is restorative for mental and physical health.”
“In the last couple of years, we’ve seen more people who want to be part of a community. They’re activists looking for something to plug into."
On Wednesday evenings, children come to learn gardening skills and cooking techniques, making smoothies and salsa with their harvest. “Kids love to eat anything that they’re cooking or tasting,” says Redenbaugh. “They also enjoy picking and arranging flowers.”
For the wider community, Rise Up offers volunteer opportunities, including Monday evening sessions from 5–7 p.m. and an “early bird crew” that starts at 7 a.m. Early fundraising efforts included events like “tacos and tours,” and the farm has received significant support from the Cape Fear Garden Club, becoming the first nonprofit featured on this year’s garden tour.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve seen more people who want to be part of a community,” Colwell says. “They’re activists looking for something to plug into. A lot of people are starting to become interested in the resilience that comes from growing food—knowing they can provide for themselves and their neighbors.”
The farm has continued to evolve, adding a picnic shelter in 2020–2021 to provide much-needed shade. They’ve implemented a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program with sliding-scale prices that accepts SNAP and EBT benefits. Recently, they’ve launched a pilot project focused on veterans to create a garden with a landowner who served in the military.
The farm grows a wide variety of crops, including radishes, turnips and cut flowers. During summer and fall, they operate an honor system farm stand at the front of the property, where visitors can purchase produce and flowers. The land itself has transformed from mostly flat, grassy sand to productive growing space with drip irrigation and raised beds.
Mari Carl, now with two young children—a three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son—has stepped back into what she calls “a grandma role,” leaving day-to-day operations to Colwell and farm manager Mariella Peck.
As Rise Up continues to grow, it remains true to its foundational vision: building community resilience through sustainable agriculture and ensuring fresh, organic produce reaches those who need it most—proving that with dedication and careful tending, even sandy soil can yield abundance.
