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Project Hope Riverfront Farm operations manager Patrick Mannhard (left) and job trainees Bakari Green and 16-yearold Sylina Alton. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
Green Collar Neighborhood Project Hope brings fresh produce and youth jobs to West Central BY ANNEMARIE C. FROHNHOEFER
hile Central Food, on West Central’s south side, sits high on the bluff above the Spokane River and offers its diners some stunning city views, a glance in the opposite direction reveals thickets of wood-frame homes, some empty and some not, vacant lots and the beginnings of a long, uphill slope. The teenagers in West Central know about uphill battles, but they also know something about those vacant lots — they don’t have to stay empty. This past summer more than two dozen West Central residents between the ages of 11 and 18 have worked as members of the Green Collar Job Corps. Some work on Riverfront Farm, an urban farm made up of seven formerly vacant lots scattered across West Central. Others work the Riverfront Farm booth at the West Central Farmers Market in Cannon Park, as well as the South Perry Market. These employees, and those on the neighborhood lawn care team, all learn job skills and gain work experience provided through Project Hope Spokane, a community-based initiative that seeks to provide youth with the skills, attitude and values necessary to ensure adult success. Bakari Green, the 15-yearold sophomore class president at North Central and a Green Collar Job Corps youth leader, has been interested in leadership roles almost as long as he’s been interested in working hard. “When I was in sixth grade I found out about this program, learned more about it, and I got really excited for the program because it was the first chance I had to get a real job,” he says. For the past four growing seasons Green has worked on the farm, pulling weeds, planting seeds and harvesting. This fall and winter he’ll be part of the team that puts the beds to sleep, puts in garlic starts and works the market as well as the “super-small greenhouse.” His eating habits have changed a bit since he began the program. “I made the mistake of coming in with a candy bar and the adult leader didn’t hesitate to jump on that and give me a veggie lecture,” says Green. He eats more vegetables and has learned how to cook up zucchini omelets. Each Friday ...continued on next page
SEPTEMBER 12, 2013 INLANDER 35