Mother Earth Farm plants seeds of hope

Photo courtesy of Mother Earth Farm

A MOTHER EARTH FARM VOLUNTEER TILLS THE FIELD THE OLD-FASHIONED “GREEN” WAY WITH A HORSE-DRAWN PLOW.

Nestled away in the lush Puyallup valley, inmates from the Washington Corrections Center for Women dig, hoe and plant seeds with care in the soil of Mother Earth Farm. In the 90 degree heat, the women are hunched over, pulling ripe vegetables from green vines, with an understanding that they will soon fill empty bellies of the less fortunate from Edgewood, Milton and beyond.

“I’m just blessed being out here. I’m really honored to offer our work to feed the less fortunate,” said inmate Autumn Burns.

The women work at the farm for 10-hour days, four times a week, to receive college credit through an Ornamental Horticulture class offered by Tacoma Community College. Once completing the class, the women will transition from inmate to certified organic farmers.

Carrie Little, manager for the farm, calls these women her “dream team.” Little is a no-nonsense kind of woman, who has no problem toiling side-by-side the women in the sunshine and heat. She has put too much work into the farm to slow down or take a break.

Little has been working at the eight-acre farm since it was founded in May of 2000. Its goal was to provide a stable, internal source of fresh food for Emergency Food Network (EFN) and the food programs it serves. The farm produces more than 150,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables each growing season – all of which is distributed directly to local food banks and hot meal programs. Produce is in the hands of food bank clients within eight hours of being harvested. In 2008, the Farm again reached full cultivation of all eight acres producing more than 149,000 pounds of fresh produce, herbs and honey. And as a sign of the times, since just last year the farm has experienced a 40 percent increase in demand, explained Little.

“These are perilous times were are living in. We work our butts off to produce as much food as we can,” she said.

Mother Earth Farm relies on volunteers to operate, and Little gets about 800 pairs of helping hands each year. These volunteers prepare the land for cultivation, plant seeds, weed the fields and harvest the food throughout the growing season. Once the food is harvested it is immediately available for Pierce County feeding programs. As a result, the clients receiving this food are being provided with a source of fresh, organic produce that is nutrient-rich and locally grown.

“We also have tried to grow food that accommodates a wide range of ethnic and racial backgrounds,” Little said.

Pierce County is a melting pot of cultures ranging from Eastern European to Asian and African. Little, who has been a seed collector for many years before joining the farm, tries to grow many of the regional produce seen in throughout the world, such as Russian black tomatoes and bok choy.  

“We wanted to gear the production toward their needs,” Little said.

Mother Earth Farm incorporates an educational component for area youth and adults. It illustrates more than any other of Emergency Food Network’s programs the diverse community engaged in the fight against local hunger. Agencies and schools, such as First Place for Children and the Puyallup School District use the farm as an opportunity to plant and study various fruits and vegetables. Six local school districts and three universities incorporate their Farm experiences into their curricula. Valuable partnerships are also in place with L’ Arche Farm & Gardens and the inmates of Washington Correctional Center for Women at Purdy. It’s these partnerships that not only provide sustenance to the hungry; the farm also fosters growth in the volunteers.

“We are planting seeds here in at the farm, but we are also planting seeds in our own lives for strength, to keep us from coming back here,” said inmate Rita Towner. “All of us here have been through trials and tribulations, physically and mentally. The farm is a beautiful place to reconstruct your life.”

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