Take a brief walk with me at the start of our 2024 growing season. I find myself ready for new possibilities, especially as New City Neighbors make plans for our farm apprentice program. This year, three young apprentices will engage in practical skill development to grow as farmers, learning what it takes to run their own farming operation. Two of the apprentices have been on our team before. A third one is being added, and his name is Kevon.
When I finally meet Kevon in April, he has already been a part of the New City Neighbors’ farm team for a few days. Because of meetings and some travel, I was not a part of the initial excitement surrounding our newly hired Farm Apprentice. I’m giving a short farmhouse tour to a visitor and we walk into the greenhouse to find Kevon at work. After brief introductions Kevon jumps in and begins to excitedly talk about the vegetable plants on display, including our process of growing plants, from seed germination to eventually transplanting the sprouts outdoors. His energy is contagious. I remember thinking, “I can’t wait to see what Kevon does after this program. This is worth the investment.”
Many of you know our journey over the last five years has been one of continual setbacks followed by new opportunities. One of the major setbacks has been the lack of land access needed to build upon our farm program. Through our farm we’re donating 20,000 pounds of produce a year to local food resource centers while engaging in workforce development by intentionally hiring and empowering youth. But what if we can create stronger equity in the food system by creating space to train up young adults to be farmers and food system entrepreneurs? First, we would need the land to create the opportunities, right?
What if I told you, we found the land and it’s right in our neighborhood?
Starting this summer, there have been significant questions about being able to lease land long-term at our farm site in Rockford. So, again, we find ourselves experiencing access to land as a potential barrier. With this insecurity in mind and with a desire to take our farming to the next level of community empowerment, we identified 5-acres of vacant property in Creston that can be shaped into a farm site under our ownership. The question is no longer, “What if?” The question is, “What now?” I know I personally imagine a revolution in our communities where young adults are equipped to change the world through the art of farming, and I believe this beautiful agricultural movement will begin right in the heart of our neighborhood.
Our imagination is being informed by the successes of this year’s new adult apprenticeship program, which we started in partnership with the USDA and the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. This program is part of a national movement that designates Grand Rapids as one of 17 national cities that will be a new urban agricultural hub. By the end of Kevon’s apprenticeship, we were able to help expand his farming knowledge, but more importantly, we were able to connect him to a variety of community resources to help start his own small business. And we’re excited to share that Kevon is now growing produce for three local food resource centers and is also the Community Garden Manager of SECOM.
Our new growing space will allow us to not only bring a majority of our farm production back to the neighborhood, but will give graduating apprentices like Kevon the space to explore the development of their own farm related businesses and non-profits. We have a secured loan for this property, but it requires a $100,000 down payment. That is essentially all of our organization’s cash reserves that we keep on hand. But we know this is a one-of-a-kind opportunity, so we are stepping out in faith. On Solid Ground is a 1.3 million dollar capital campaign created to bring shape to this new site and farm training location. Phase One is land acquisition, followed quickly by Phase Two, which will prepare the space for farming. Phase Three will include preparing for on-site educational programming.
We have several grant funders that we expect to journey with us in the later phases. However, many of these grant opportunities are government grants that will not fund the purchase of property. Further, grant funding takes time, on average 6-12 months to secure. So we will likely need to fund all of the property acquisition through individuals and businesses. Will you help us in our goal of raising a $100,000 down payment by year-end? One hundred donors giving $1000 gets us to our goal. Please consider a gift of $1000, $500, or an amount that works with your household budget. Each dollar you give will allow us to leverage additional grant dollars to move us from imagination to reality. Donations can also be made in the provided envelopes or online. If you or a business you know would like to journey with us, feel free to contact me directly at ricardo@newcityneighbors.org.
Thank you for your continued support of our work through our challenges and through our opportunities.
In gratitude,
Ricardo Tavárez, Executive Director
