March 23, 2006

By RACHEL DAVIS
Contributing Writer

It’s a cold, clear Seattle morning; the ground crunches under our boots as we step through the gate to Marra Farm—a portal in the South Park neighborhood where 20 percent of the kids between the ages of 14 and 18 are classified as homeless.

Flanked by Highway 99 to the East and Highway 509 to the West, this urban farm works to engage the community in education and sustainable agriculture to enhance local food security. It accommodates several community garden programs and organizations, including Seattle Youth Garden Works, which joined the Marra Farm Coalition in 2000 with a program to empower homeless and at-risk youth through garden-based education and employment.

On a one-acre plot of land, the kids — hailing from South Park, White Center, and neighboring south-end communities — earn an hourly wage growing a wide variety of organic vegetables, flowers, herbs, and berries. They sell their produce at the Tukwila International and Columbia City Farmers’ Markets and receive a portion of the proceeds from their cooperative market garden business.

By sharing in the profitability of the farm, the kids have a vested interest in its success and begin to understand investments and returns. “This is a huge part of the training,” explains SYGW Business Manager, Minh Chau Le. “The kids are given a link to the larger community. They go to the markets to sell their food, and they are seen in a positive light. They are proud to be making a healthful contribution.”

The SYGW program runs three two- to three-month work crews per year, each incorporating a hands-on science class. Upon completion of the work crew, the kids can earn up to three science credits to be applied toward graduation. Crews are comprised of just 10 people, and as the program has become more popular, the available spaces fill quickly. Last season, the farm had more than 50 applicants for one crew.

What entices youth to this program, in part, is the money. Most employment training programs require that you ante up, but Marra Farm offers kids the opportunity to make money and earn school credit while they learn. Moreover, they are dedicated to hunger relief and work together to provide for their community: 10 to 20 percent of the food grown on the SYGW plot is donated to the White Center food bank.

The rewards on the farm are as deep and layered as the fertile soil that the kids sow.

“ A good day on the farm balances friendly weather, a functioning irrigation system, and volunteers who show up,” says Conner Sharpe, SYGW director. “And the bad days aren’t dreadful — only a part of it and really not all that common.” Most days are spent with the kids working together, sharing conversation, asking good questions, and connecting with each other. “It’s planting a seed and watching it grow,” Le says of the kids in the program.

With just five employees and five Americorps members, the SYGW program relies heavily on the support of local gardeners and community volunteers. Funding comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the state government, and about 30 local foundations including the Paul Allen Fund, which provided money to hire a full-time case manager this year and to enhance its job placement program.

Since its induction over six years ago, the SYGW program has graduated well over 100 youth and the success stories are plentiful. Former youth gardeners return as volunteers, work with Americorps, and sit on Marra Farm’s board of directors. Job placement numbers are high: 100 percent of the lead youth gardeners and about 20 percent of the youth crewmembers find a job after the program.

“ I’m proud to be a part of this,” Sharpe says, “I’m passionate about young people succeeding in a way that makes sense to them.” n

[Resource]

Seattle Youth Garden Works: (206)632-0352; www.sygw.org.