Shalom Farms

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2010-04-22T14:00:00.003-04:00

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2010-04-22T14:00:00.001-04:00

Spring is here!

2010-04-12T10:56:00.002-04:00

It was a long winter, but spring has sprung. The spirit of Easter and of spring are alive in the UMUMR offices and on Shalom Farms. After a transitional period this winter, Shalom Farms and United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond are up and running with new staff members. Dominic Barrett has been named the new Program Director and Steve Miles has come on as Farm Manager. They are both extremely excited about the future of UMUMR and Shalom Farms.

The farm is in full spring swing. Groups of volunteers, both young and old, have already been out to help this spring. The need for volunteers will only increase in the coming days and weeks as we move into the heart of spring planting. To volunteer or for more information call 266-9350 or email dbarrett@umumr.org.

Many more updates, info, and pictures coming soon!

With gratitude for a great first year: 2009

2009-12-31T00:01:00.001-05:00

With the final harvest on December 3, 2009, Shalom Farms concluded its very successful first season. Our thanks to all who planned, planted, picked, processed, promoted, and persevered. Following is a brief summary of this year's outcomes.

From March 20 2009 to December 3, 2009 United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond hosted on the Shalom Farms project 44 organized groups and over 100 non-group related individuals yielding 2,677 volunteer hours contributed by 1,647 volunteers to grow and harvest 5762 pounds of fresh produce that was redistributed to three (and more) targeted food insecure neighborhoods in Richmond.

Over fifty community building and service delivery organizations, five key collaborating partners, and numerous faith based and secular donors from across Metro Richmond and beyond provided resources, participated in three Shalom Farms Network steering committee meetings, garnered community support from more than eighty families, and invested their good will so that Shalom Farms could grow healthy food, family and friends to improve food security in Richmond.

As planning begins for the 2010 season - it is just around the corner - please watch this site for upcoming announcements.

With our gratitude for making Shalom Farms a wonderful success in 2009 and beyond,

UMUMR Board of Directors and staff (Dave Cooper, Katye Parker Snipes, and Rob Moore).

Fall Celebration & Hands On Day

2009-10-20T13:20:00.002-04:00

We had a great turnout this past Saturday despite the crazy cold weather! In the morning we participated in Hands On Greater Richmond�s 2nd annual Hands On Day. Over 1,000 people were a part of this day of service. Volunteers at Shalom Farms helped on site with getting the farm ready for winter and harvested a lot of mustard greens.

In the afternoon friends from CHAT, Belmont UMC, St. Paul�s Episcopal, Camp Westview, Feed More (CVFB) and individuals from around Greater Richmond came out to help celebrate our first season with cider, desserts, a moon bounce, hay ride and PUMPKINS! We harvested 2,737 pounds of pumpkins in record time with lots of hands moving together, then a group of hearty men helped move the flats onto the lift to go to the food bank.

We�ll have some more greens to harvest, and fall broccoli should bring our total numbers for the season to just under 3 tons! Thanks so much for your help making this project a success. Please be sure to check out photos from Saturday!

Shalom Farms Video

2009-10-02T10:29:00.002-04:00

We've just finished a first-year summary video that will be shown at the National Communities of Shalom Summit in October. Check it out on You Tube.

Special Thanks

2009-09-16T09:10:00.002-04:00

We want to extend a special thank you to Richmond's JUMP ABOVE ALL for donating the use of a moon bounce for our October 17 Volunteer Appreciation event. Be sure you come out from 1 to 4 on the 17th to jump in celebration of a successful summer, and if you're planning to rent party equipment anytime soon call 804.643.3355 or visit their website.

October 17th Event

2009-09-01T11:48:00.002-04:00

Folks - We're having a volunteer appreciation event on the farm on October 17th, and we want you to come out. If you've volunteered in the past, supported the farm, or are just plain curious - come out on the 17th, and we'll show you around, cook some food together, and have an all-around good time!

Canning the Harvest:

2009-08-13T17:13:00.005-04:00

Check out the food canning workshop that was designed to improve food security of residents in Richmond, Virginia public housing developments. This recent event was held, thanks to our partners Virginia Cooperative Extension, Girl Scout Troop #740, Richmond Redevelopment Housing Authority, Oak Grove Elementary School, and Sacred Heart Center. Special thanks to UMTV.

Volunteers make it happen!

2009-08-04T12:49:00.005-04:00

July was a busy month for us at the farm site in Goochland. Our volunteer hours for the season passed the 1600 mark, and we have been steadily harvesting squash, okra, green peppers and watermelon. The work we're getting done is thanks to all the individuals and groups who are giving of their time and energy to help out. Here's some of who was out in July:

Alpha Psi Kappa
Camp Westview on the James
Central Baptist Church
Church Hill Activities & Tutoring (CHAT)
Earth Sower Solutions
Groundwater & Environmental Services (GES)
National Communities of Shalom
Phi Nu Kappa
Richmond Police Athletic League (PAL)
Sacred Heart Center
Shady Grove United Methodist Church
Society of St. Andrews Harvest of Hope
Sycamore United Methodist Church
Sylvania First United Methodist
Target of Colonial Heights
Trinity United Methodist Church
Tuckahoe YMCA
Individuals from Connect Richmond, Hands On Greater Richmond & Volunteer Match

Be sure to check out the photo page for visuals on all the work and fun. Thank you all!

Hillside Court Community Garden

2009-07-21T15:56:00.002-04:00

Girl Scout Troop 740 and community members in Hillside Court planted a barrel garden this past Saturday. Be sure to visit our photo page to check out images from the day!

Video!

2009-07-09T12:48:00.004-04:00

We've uploaded a bunch of videos from our workdays over the past few months. Here's a sample.

You can view the rest here, or by clicking on "Videos" on the Left Hand Menu.

Thanks to all our volunteers!

2009-07-08T10:48:00.006-04:00

During the month of June, we logged 372.25 volunteer hours, bringing our total since March to just under 750! Supporters came from all over the Greater Richmond area from a variety of organizations including...

Second Baptist Church
Shady Grove United Methodist Church
Camp Westview on the James
Collegiate School
Maggie Walker Governor's School
St. Matthew's United Methodist Church
Central Baptist Church
Richmond Police Athletic League
CHAT (Church Hill Activities & Tutoring)
Genworth Financial
Friends from Volunteer Match and Hands On Greater Richmond

The work we're doing would not be possible without your help, so thank you for coming and for returning with friends! Be sure to check the photo page for images from the fun in the sun!

The Media Continues

2009-06-03T13:47:00.001-04:00

We just had a big write-up in Richmond Magazine, you can read it in PDF form right here.

Media Mentions

2009-05-26T15:56:00.003-04:00

We are featured on the United Methodist Church's global website! Check it out here.

We've also been mentioned in the Richmond Voice, you can read it here.

Come Volunteer at the Farm!

2009-05-26T13:01:00.002-04:00

Want to come out and get your hands dirty? We've always got work we need help with. Whether you'd like to volunteer as an individual or family or bring your church, civic or work group, we need you! Email Katye to sign up!

Hillside Court Garden planned by Girl Scout Troop #740

2009-05-14T00:14:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Girl Scout troop #740 of Hillside Court, a partner in the Shalom Farms Network, for their commitment to creating a community garden on property made available by Shalom Baptist Church adjacent to Hillside Court.

The scouts will learn about urban gardening and entrepreneurial leadership as they market their produce in space made available by another partner in the Shalom Farms Network: the 17th Street Farmers Market.

Thank you to all who are working to bring this wonderful component of Shalom Farms to fruition.

Thank You!

2009-05-04T14:22:00.000-04:00

A special thanks to all the volunteers, staff, and participants of our launch day this past Saturday. Over a hundred of you showed up, helped plant, and learned all about the farm, making it our biggest day yet!

Public Grand Opening May 2

2009-04-29T13:58:00.002-04:00

We will have our Public Grand Opening at the Shalom Farms site this Saturday, May 2 at 11am. The rain date is May 9. Please come and join us for the festivities and some refreshments! Bring your camera! Click here for directions.

Armstrong HS Leadership

2009-04-24T11:40:00.003-04:00

We hosted a group from Armstrong High School at the farm yesterday, and they planted 90 watermelon seeds. They also helped to fill the demonstration garden box with soil from the river bottom. Check out the photo page for images from the day. Thanks guys!

We've also got a new poster, so check it out!

Planting Season is Here!

2009-04-20T11:36:00.004-04:00

First - thanks to Saturday's volunteers, who helped make April 18th our biggest workday yet. Great weather and great community all around.

We've got some upcoming workdays for anyone interested - Thursday the 23rd, and Saturday the 25th. Contact Katye or Rob if you'd like to come out, or just call 804 266 9350 beforehand. We'll be planting, hauling dirt, and generally preparing the site for our May 2nd grand opening.

We've just been mentioned in the April Issue of Rural Connections, in addition to our articles in the Richmond times-Dispatch and The United Methodist Reporter.

Help Out Shalom Farms

2009-04-08T14:09:00.002-04:00

First of all, things are going really well! We�ve gotten our broccoli and potatoes planted, and the rest of our crops will go in the ground in late-April and early May. Some of you are signed up to help with planting, so thanks in advance for that. Running concurrently with one of our planting workdays on May 2nd will be our Public Groundbreaking Ceremony. If you�re signed up to work that day, you might be on TV in the background! The program will be at 11am on the Shalom Farms site, and all are invited to attend (just let me know if you�re planning to come so they�ll have the right amount of food).

Secondly, we are trying to gather a team of adults to help with installing the irrigation system. You need not have expertise in this arena, we will have good guidance, but due to the construction nature of the project we�re looking for about 8 people over 18. Please let me know if you can come to the farm site on April 18 at 10am to help. It should only take a few hours of solid work.

Sign Up Today!

2009-04-06T10:34:00.002-04:00

Sign up to help out on our official launch day, May 2nd! Visit our volunteering page or contact Katye for more info. We'll be planting seeds and transplanting seedlings, and we could use your help. Workdays are being run from April 25th to May 9th, so let us know if you can help.

News Mentions

2009-04-01T13:46:00.002-04:00

We've been mentioned in the Times-Dispatch! Check it out here.

The United Methodist Reporter also wrote an article on UMUMR, available here.

Welcome To The Farm

2009-04-01T13:45:00.001-04:00

The goals of Shalom Farms are to increase access to healthy foods in the inner city, build community, and improve the self-sufficiency of those involved.

Shalom Farm is composed of three interrelated parts. First, a 780 acre United Methodist camp in rural Goochland County (forty minutes west of Richmond) is host to the Shalom Farm site. Ground will be broken in March 2009 on two acres. This farm site uses a high-yield design to grow ten crops: producing 16,000 pounds of fresh nutritious food for the hungry. Volunteers will staff the farm; gathered from area churches, synagogues, mosques, and civic, government, NGO�s and various community organizations. The crops and growing techniques used at the farm were chosen to be easily replicable by volunteers looking to create farms and gardens of their own in the inner city or elsewhere. Shalom Farms is dedicated to growing nutritious food for the hungry and teaching the hungry to grow their own food for personal use or for sale.

The Shalom Farm Network (Click for Larger Image)

Second, Virginia Cooperative Extension is developing an educational curriculum to teach children and adults alike about gardening, nutritious eating, and food preservation. The curriculum it uses is a train-the-trainer model, meaning that community volunteers can be taught to be instructors. This curriculum being developed is for use with Shalom Farm participants, Metro Richmond neighborhoods and other similar projects within Virginia.

The youth curriculum is being designed with public school students in mind. Learning objectives of the children�s educational program are coordinated with the state�s standardized testing benchmarks, known as the Standards of Learning. UMUMR has formed partnerships with three inner city schools to offer programming and camp experiences at the Shalom Farm. Through this partnership Shalom Farm will provide eighty youth (and their parents) exposure to the curriculum in 2009-2010 school year. Additional UMUMR partnerships with the William Byrd Community House and First Contractors (a social enterprise) will provide educational opportunities for youth from programs operated by these organizations.

Third, the Shalom Farm project uses an asset-based (ABCD) community development model called Communities of Shalom to catalyze neighborhood empowerment. Asset-Based Community Development was originally created by the Community Development Program at Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research. Proponents of the approach focus on helping citizens come together and identify strategies to solve their own problems; using the skills and talents available amongst the neighborhood�s residents; and better utilizing outside resources.

In Hebrew, the word shalom has multiple meanings, including �well-being�. The Communities of Shalom model was developed by The United Methodist Church as a positive and holistic community-driven response to the riots in Los Angeles, California in 1992. Now, Drew University of Madison, New Jersey serves as the international resourcing and training center for Communities of Shalom and continues to support and expand. Over ninety Shalom Zones (sites) exist across the US and Africa.

In Metro Richmond, UMUMR employs the Communities of Shalom model with issues outside of food-security, impacting issues such as racial reconciliation, affordable housing development, and other community-determined plans. One existing and two emerging Communities of Shalom (of which there are a total of ten in Richmond) have already agreed to participate in the Shalom Farm project and look forward to establishing community gardens and cooking programs in their neighborhoods.

Food-security is an increasingly important issue across the country, and food itself continues to be an engaging and powerful force, bringing people together. Since its inception in 2008 the Shalom Farm has gathered an impressive array of community supporters including such organizations as the Central Virginia Food Bank (Feed More), William Byrd Community House, First Contractors, Richmond City Health District, and The United Methodist Church General Board of Global Ministries. The Shalom Farm will begin delivering its healthful social, economic, physical, and spiritual benefits to Metro Richmond in 2009 and beyond.