Washington Lawyer - November/December 2022 - 12

FEATURE
Common Good
City Farm volunteers
pack freshly harvested
produce for distri -
bution to residents
near LeDroit Park.
was in the process of transitioning to executive director of the Pro Bono
Center. The two established a relationship that helped Flack build Exelon's
strong commitment to the center's Nonprofit & Small Business Legal
Assistance Programs.
The results are a point of pride for Exelon and for Flack, personally. " We
have many D.C.-based employees, and we want to work with a D.C.based
organization, " Flack says. " I know that if I say we're working with
the Pro Bono Center, we are going to have good results and people are
going to be satisfied that they have accomplished something. "
Flack retired from Exelon at the end of August but continues her pro
bono commitments. " I don't want to lose these connections, " says Flack,
who serves on the board of directors for Ayuda. " There's so much going
on and so many organizations that are helping people. It's motivating
learning what's out there. My volunteer activities have really broadened
my perspective. "
FRUITS OF THEIR LABOR
In 2021 the Pro Bono Center assisted 274 nonprofits with its brief advice
clinics, according to Qu. " Compared to our peers, I think that's a standout
number. Other legal services organizations across the country have comparable
educational offerings, and they do clinics, but the scale of what
we are doing is significant. "
Common Good has certainly benefited from the Pro Bono Center's legal
services. Supported by some 3,000 volunteers over its 15 years in existence,
Common Good has harvested more than 10 tons of fresh produce
for the community. Today it is one of more than 200 gardens in the
12 WASHINGTON LAWYER * NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
District, ranging from school and community gardens to urban farms,
mapped by the Office of Urban Agriculture established by Mayor Muriel
Bowser in 2020 to support sustainable, equitable, and resilient local food
production on both private and public lands.
Under Trumbull's leadership, Common Good has flourished. In 2020 the
farm's staff and volunteers produced more than 49,000 servings of fruits
and vegetables, as well as two gallons of honey. The harvest enabled
them to distribute more than 25,000 pounds of free produce to LeDroit
Park neighborhood residents, with priority given to those participating
in SNAP; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,
and Children; and other programs addressing hunger and nutrition.
Common Good also sells produce at weekly farmers markets on a paywhat-you-can
basis and offers courses in cooking, canning, herbalism,
and regenerative agriculture.
Since attending the Pro Bono Center's nonprofit fundamentals course
and taking advantage of its brief advice services, Trumbull has overseen
the revision of Common Good's bylaws, improved its insurance coverage,
and revised its employee handbook for greater clarity. A new errors
and omissions policy has helped provide liability coverage for the farm's
herbalist.
And, in August, Trumbull became the first employee to avail of Common
Good's recently adopted family leave policy.
Reach D.C. Bar staff writer Jeremy Conrad at jconrad@dcbar.org.
Jati Lindsay Photography
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2022

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