Hunger and Food Security |
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by Sarah Nash Every Monday and Wednesday, a group of ten homeless people from Chicago work for a minimum wage tending a small community garden at Su Casa Catholic Worker House on the city's south side. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they cultivate a ten acre organic farm about 90 miles outside of the city. In between, they sell their produce at local farmers markets and receive counseling and training to aid in their job search. These workers are part of a growing collaboration between Su Casa Catholic Worker House, a shelter for homeless Latinos where Mary Margaret Davis, IHM works, and "Growing Home,"a certified organic agriculture business which provides transitional employment to homeless and low-income people These workers also learn bee keeping and recently spent a day harvesting honey. After collecting sixty pounds of honeycomb from the Su Casa garden, they brought the honeycomb into the Su Casa dining room, sat at long tables and began carefully scraping the outside layer of wax. Once this was removed, the honey was free to flow down into large metal pans. An ice-cream maker was used as a centrifuge to separate any remaining debris from the honey. They packaged the honey in jars and then sent it off to be distributed to local farmers markets in the Hyde Park area where it was sold for $5 a jar. The goal of the project is not to teach homeless people how to be farmers. "It is about helping their self esteem and giving them skills to get a good job. Some people came into the program this year and ended up leaving halfway through because they found jobs," says Mary Margaret. This self esteem was evident on the day of the honey harvest. "They were just so proud of themselves. It s a very awesome thing for them to see their work through, from beginning to end." The profits from the sale of the fruits, vegetables and honey that the workers cultivate go back to "Growing Home" to help fund their programming for the homeless. The workers keep some of the produce to take to their families at the shelters where they currently live. Part of the produce is shared with Su Casa residents at a monthly dinner that they and the "Growing Home" workers prepare together. This community building is another benefit of the project. Besides providing a source of income, vital work skills and self esteem, this collaboration provides hope. Speaking of her work with Su Casa and "Growing Home," Mary Margaret adds "When you re poor, hope is really all you have." |
