Key Takeaways
- DASH FOR HIM funded critical plumbing repairs for DECA (Discerning Eye Community Agriculture), an urban farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that faced shutdown without them.
- DECA founder Hawa grows fresh food and teaches wellness in under-served communities, working from her organic plot in Lancaster Central Park.
- A portion of every DASH FOR HIM sale goes toward food, water, clothing, shelter, and care — locally and globally.
- This is what the brand means by "impact is the new luxury": the product funds the purpose.
The Farm That Almost Shut Down
In Lancaster, Pennsylvania — a county famous for its farmland — an urban farm was about to close its gates. Not because the crops failed. Not because nobody cared. Because the plumbing didn't meet code, and without the repairs, the farm couldn't stay compliant or keep operating.
That farm is DECA: Discerning Eye Community Agriculture, a backyard farming cooperative growing fresh food in the middle of the city. When DASH FOR HIM heard what was at stake, the decision was simple. We provided the funding for the plumbing work, the farm stayed compliant, and the gates stayed open.
No press release. No fanfare. Just a problem, a check, and a farm that kept feeding people.
Who Is Hawa?
DECA was founded by Hawa, a Lancaster grower and educator whose mission is to create wellness and abundance in under-served communities through the collective acts of gardening and farming. Her belief is straightforward: in a county hailed for its agricultural prowess, no person in its urban areas should go hungry. No person should go hungry, period.
Through traditional and alternative farming methods, wellness education, and public service, DECA works to give urban residents agency over their own food — and over their own health. Hawa runs her organic farming plot in Lancaster Central Park, practicing everything she teaches.
She gives her talent and wisdom to Lancaster freely, and has for years. The farm is what she was building toward all along.
Why Plumbing Could Kill a Farm
It sounds small until it isn't. Urban farms operate under the same health and safety codes as any food operation. Water systems have to meet standards for irrigation, washing produce, and sanitation. Fall out of compliance and the options narrow fast: expensive repairs or shutdown.
For a community farm running on grit and donations, a plumbing bill isn't a line item — it's an existential threat. That's the gap DASH FOR HIM stepped into. The funding covered the work, the farm met code, and Hawa got back to what she does best: growing food and teaching her neighbors to do the same.
Giving Is Built Into Every Sale
The Lancaster farm is one chapter, not the whole book. DASH FOR HIM takes a portion of every sale and directs it toward the basics people need most:
- Food — supporting community farms and food access like DECA's work in Lancaster.
- Water — funding clean-water efforts where they're needed most.
- Clothing — getting essentials to people going without.
- Shelter — supporting housing and refuge for vulnerable communities.
- Care — showing up for people locally and globally, however help is needed most.
This isn't a seasonal campaign or a limited-edition label. It's how the company operates, sale after sale.
The Dash Between the Dates
"We are not just a brand. We are not just a product line. We are a lifestyle brand, with a PURPOSE," says Eddie Perales, founder of DASH FOR HIM. "What matters most is the dash between the year you were born and when you leave this earth. This brand will create an IMPACT through our uncommon approach."
That dash — the one on every headstone, between two dates — is the whole philosophy. The products are what we sell. The impact is what we're here for. A jar of clay or a bottle of powder is a grooming purchase; the portion that flows to a farm in Lancaster, to clean water, to a family needing shelter — that's the purpose.
Hawa is still farming. DECA is still growing. And every order keeps the cycle moving.
Follow the Work
This story didn't end when the plumbing passed inspection. Hawa is still at her plot in Lancaster Central Park, still teaching, still harvesting, still proving that a city block can feed a neighborhood. DECA keeps bridging the gap between who grows the food and who gets to eat it — one garden, one workshop, one neighbor at a time.
Keep up with Hawa and DECA at @decacityfarms. Watch what a community can do when someone refuses to let it go hungry — and know that your shelf of DASH FOR HIM products helped keep those gates open.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DECA (Discerning Eye Community Agriculture)?
DECA is a backyard farming cooperative in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, founded by Hawa. It grows fresh food in urban areas and teaches wellness, gardening, and farming to under-served communities, giving residents agency over their own food and health.
Why did the Lancaster farm need plumbing work?
The farm had to meet health and safety codes for its water systems — irrigation, produce washing, and sanitation. Without the plumbing repairs, it would have fallen out of compliance and been forced to shut down.
How did DASH FOR HIM help?
DASH FOR HIM provided the funding for the plumbing work, which kept the farm compliant and operating. The farm stayed open and Hawa continued her work in the community.
Where does DASH FOR HIM's giving go?
A portion of every sale supports food, water, clothing, shelter, and care — for communities locally and around the world. The Lancaster farm is one example of that ongoing commitment.
How can I support this work?
Every DASH FOR HIM purchase contributes — a portion of each sale funds the giving. You can also follow and support DECA directly at @decacityfarms to keep up with Hawa's work in Lancaster.
Look Good. Do Good.
Every order carries the mission with it. Shop the lineup — hair styling powder, hair clay, pomade — and know that part of your purchase goes toward food, water, clothing, shelter, and care for people who need it most.
