INSPIRE
Another partnership came from an
unlikely source—a local minimum security prison. “I received a call from the
warden of a minimum security prison
in Charlotte saying that he wanted to
develop a farming program for his
inmates. He said he could have 200 men
plow the available 16 acres in a day,”
Owen said. “This was overwhelming.
We weren’t prepared to handle that level
of farm maintenance and production,
but it did give us the opportunity to
develop our first Urban Farm.”
Working with eight inmates twice a
week, Owen soon developed one acre
on the prison grounds. It was an opportunity to expand Friendship Garden’s
mission of teaching people how to grow
their own food and how to develop a
passion for gardening. Inmates also
gained job skills that could be beneficial
after their release and to give them the
ability to give back to their community.
Over time, Owen worked with these
men to create their own 10 x 5-foot
gardens where they could make all the
decisions about what they wanted to
grow. They grew squash, cucumbers
and lettuce. One man chose to plant his
entire garden with watermelons.
“It was incredible to see families came
for visitation days, and the families
would bring their incarcerated relative
McDonald’s. These men, in return,
would hand their families fresh, locally
grown produce,” Owen said.
The prison closed in 2012, but the
men’s relationships to Friendship
Gardens’ remain. “I have heard from
a few of these men [since the prison
closure],” Owen said. “A couple of the
men told me that they have enrolled
in the Community Culinary School
of Charlotte, which offers workforce
development skills through the culinary arts. Several who enrolled in
the school have gone on to become
Friendship Trays chefs.”
It all comes full circle.
APRIL MAY 2014
97