HITT Contracting, a top-ranked national general contractor based in Northern Virginia, has become a major partner in supporting the educational and hunger relief efforts of the JK Community Farm, a 150-acre nonprofit farm in Loudoun County that grows and donates healthy food to food banks across the DC region.

Through volunteers and a nearly $40,000 grant, HITT has committed to being an Acreage sponsor and to building a HITT Play Zone at the farm. HITT Contracting provides a wide range of commercial construction services across the nation, including complex core and shell buildings, renovations, interior fit-outs and routine service work.

“We work to alleviate hunger by improving access to healthy food. As part of this, we are also focused on cultivating the next generation’s understanding of where food comes from, how it’s grown, and why nutrition and stewardship matter,” says JK Community Farm Executive Director Samantha Kuhn. “HITT is partnering with us to support these goals. As funding for food programs is getting cut for nonprofits and clients alike, corporate support is more critical than ever, and we are grateful to HITT for investing in us and the families we serve.”

As an Acreage Sponsor, HITT has adopted one of the farm’s acres and is sponsoring all costs associated with growing on HITT’s Acre. The farm is an important provider of healthy food for those in need in the DC area. Last year, more than 6,700 volunteers—including HITT team members—helped grow and harvest over 247,000 pounds of fresh, organic produce and protein that was donated to local food banks. By adopting an acre, HITT will help the farm meet the community’s expanding needs through funds and volunteer power.

“Community engagement is at the heart of who we are at HITT,” says HITT Senior VP Ashley Campbell. “Supporting JK Community Farm is a meaningful way for us to live out our core value, Be the Good, not only through financial support, but by showing up, getting our hands dirty, and helping expand access to healthy food and hands-on education for local families. This partnership reflects our belief that building stronger communities starts with investing in people.”

The Fairfax County-based construction company is also donating a HITT Play Zone, which will be part of the farm’s nature playscape within its new Outdoor Food Learning Center. Designed for the farm’s field trip students and youth volunteers, the Center will include an outdoor classroom and an educational space for sensory exploration that will help children learn, explore, and develop essential life skills through hands-on interaction with the farm’s natural environment.

The Center, which also received a grant from the Joseph E. Roberts Charitable Trust, will engage all five senses, reinforcing food education through experiential learning. Children will dig in the soil, plant seeds, smell herbs, touch varied textures, and observe pollinators at work.

Within the Center, the HITT Play Zone will feature climbing boulders with Tonka trucks for digging. The playscape will also have sensory herb stations, nature art zones, shaded seating, bird houses, and a mud kitchen. Every element is intentionally designed to reinforce the principles of food education and environmental care, offering children a space to explore the farm’s ecosystem in a safe, engaging, and educational setting. The HITT Play Zone is expected to open in late July.

Every educational program at the farm is aligned with educational standards and designed to engage students from diverse backgrounds, ensuring equitable access to transformative food education experiences. The JK Community Farm hosts 3,000 students each season for education through its field trip program and the Center will help deepen their learning experience.

JK Community Farm, a nonprofit started in 2018 seeks to have a lasting and healthy impact on struggling families within the Washington, DC region by growing and donating chemical-free, healthy produce and protein to those struggling with hunger.

As the nation’s largest chemical-free community farm with 100% of its yield donated, the farm’s food is distributed by nonprofit partners: Loudoun Hunger Relief, Food for Others, Arlington Food Assistance Center, and DC Central Kitchen. www.jkcommunityfarm.org