Tami Farinholt and the Newport News food forest that finally has crews on site

Salmonberry blossoms at the Beacon Food Forest in Seattle, another community food forest, not the Newport News site. Photo: Marco Downs, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Crews are now on the ground at the Sarfan Food Forest in southeast Newport News, a five-acre site where neighbors will be able to pick free produce. Tami Farinholt, executive director of the Newport News Green Foundation, is the person leading the project, and she says the day is a long time coming.

Construction finally starts

“It’s exciting to finally see construction underway,” Farinholt said in a news release the foundation issued Oct. 30, the day after crews broke ground. “This project has always been about more than growing food. We’re creating a space that will bring people together, provide access to fresh produce, and offer opportunities for education and community connection.”

The site is at 1901 Chestnut Ave., across from Discovery STEM Academy, on land given to the foundation by the Sarfan family. WHRO reported on the groundbreaking Nov. 12, and the Daily Newport News put the project’s cost at $1 million.

A long wait

The foundation first announced the food forest in 2021, when it said it would hold a groundbreaking and tree planting on April 20 of that year. The Hampton Roads Messenger described it then as the first food forest on the Peninsula, with fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and some perennial vegetables, plus an outdoor classroom and areas to test growing methods. In its 2026 release, the foundation says the project followed “years of planning, engineering, and preparation.”

What gets built first

Phase 1 covers clearing and preparing the property, removing invasive species and unhealthy trees, and building a permaculture demonstration area and the Tsenacommacah Indigenous Garden. The foundation expects all of it to be finished by the end of 2026. It has already planted a small orchard of apples, figs, pears and plums, along with a pollinator meadow.

Money for the project includes a $185,300 grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s Preservation Trust Fund and a $125,000 grant from the African American Mayors Association, awarded in partnership with the City of Newport News. Newport News Shipbuilding, the Redekop Family Endowment, the Virginia Department of Forestry and the Annie Belle Reavis Tuccori Foundation have also given support.

Phase 2

The foundation is already working with the city on plans and approvals for a second phase. It would add more edible landscaping, accessible pathways, educational gardens, outdoor learning spaces and other amenities. No construction timeline has been set. “Phase 1 is an important milestone, but it’s really just the beginning,” Farinholt said.

The Newport News Green Foundation describes its mission as preserving, transforming and promoting green spaces in the city. The food forest is meant to be free and open to the public.

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