It’s our 17th anniversary! Federal designation officially naming our organization a nonprofit entity arrived on February 14, 2005. We interviewed Darlene Thomas, our executive director, for her reflections on the farm’s history through years.

“While settling into the new shelter 17 years ago, we began to consider how to integrate the land with services for survivors. Maybe equine therapy or a herd of sheep? Although these options weren’t a good fit, early dialogues confirmed the land must complement existing traditional services for survivors.

Local and national conversations were beginning to explore topics related to food deserts, local food production, and social entrepreneurship. We convened community experts to discuss how our land could be used to address these issues.The commitment of staff and resources to achieve this integration would be substantial, so we started small with only a few box gardens of seasonal herbs and vegetables for meal prep in shelter.

We honed our gardening skills and observed interest in the effort over the next two seasons. Consultations with arborists and farmers informed our land use plan, and local garden clubs provided native cuttings and seeds for planting. A generous grant from Grow Appalachia allowed us to hire a Farm Advocate to manage the farm and programming. This early financial commitment allowed us to leverage additional support from United Way, Kentucky Utilities, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky.”

Listening & Responding

We thought vegetable production would be our primary focus, but the community inspired a new unexpected direction for the farm.

“A few years ago, survivors and staff had planted a small garden of flowers. Kentucky Proud admired the flowers during a visit to the farm and asked if we might put together some small table bouquets for their kick-off breakfast at the State Fair.

Soon after that event, calls and emails requesting bouquets of our flowers for centerpieces overwhelmed us. The expansion of our flower production became a priority. Around this same time, individuals and private foundations stepped in to fund the renovation of an outbuilding on the back of our farm program for much-needed space to fulfill flower orders and facilitate workshops for survivors.

John Paul and Eloise DeJoria, with friends from JP’s Peace, Love & Happiness Foundation, visited the farm to learn more about our program. That visit inspired a generous donation to begin renovation of the outbuilding. Don and Mira Ball provided additional generous support to complete the project.

Special attention was given to the renovation to meet certified commercial kitchen requirements. Today, this building is the hub for production of value-added products from the farm, including lip balms, soaps, other Handmade By Survivors products.”

Promising Results

A federal grant awarded to the University of Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women to conduct multi-year research on the farm’s effectiveness recently concluded. Publication of the research outcomes is expected soon.

“Stories and statistics tell us the farm-based programs we have developed are effective. Those few early box gardens have grown to almost 7,000 square feet of cultivated land, and approximately 60% of shelter residents directly participate in at least one nature-based program during their stay with us. But I believe all survivors living at our shelter benefit from indirect engagement with the farm. Even just sitting on the porch watching the sunset or listening to the rain can make a difference.”