community spotlight
Farming for the Future by Ana Haugsoen
F
resh Future Farm leverages unused city assets to create food and job opportunities that will transform the current food desert into a more self-reliant and robust community. It is a grassroots nonprofit farm that employs a multipronged strategy to address health, wealth and quality of life issues in an underserved area. CEO Germaine Jenkins and CharlestonGOOD founder Todd Chas had discussed social entrepreneurship as a tool for years, and they took the information Jenkins gleaned from workshops on commercial urban agriculture with Growing Power, in Milwaukee, and NxLevel Business Planning at Clemson University to create Fresh Future Farm three years ago. “Thanks to the city of North Charleston, the farm found a home near schools, main streets and the local bus system in the middle of a residential neighborhood
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in the Chicora-Cherokee community,” says Jenkins. “The plan started slowly and was underfunded, but one by one, regular folk gifted their time and talent to achieve our goal of transformation.” Her family helped with operations in the beginning. “The farm and store have grown thanks to a feisty, multi-ethnic, intergenerational group of family, staff, interns and volunteers who transcend regular nonprofit status to become the rich, loving extended family farm and neighborhood grocery store you see today. We empower people to eat and live better, starting with each other.” Whether it is wood chips, an unused modular building or a vacant city lot, Fresh Future Farm reclaims these assets to create a business that grows and sells fresh produce, basic and specialty groceries. Along with the farm and grocery store, Fresh Future Farm plans to add a pavilion and mobile kitchen to expand products, services, entrepreneurial and economic opportunities. “In addition to the farm and store, we offer gardening classes, school tours and camps. We also manage a nearby community garden. To keep dollars circulating in the community, 88 percent of our employees live on the southern end of North Charleston; half of those in the Chicora-
Cherokee community,” notes Jenkins. From 9 a.m. to noon on the third Saturday of each month, Karen Latsbaugh coordinates farm volunteers. She started Cities + Shovels, which focuses on engaging kids to get outside in their schools and communities to explore, grow and learn about the different foods and plants that come from the gardens they help to cultivate. Latsbaugh says, “We welcome all skill levels. A novice can pull weeds, spread mulch or dig up potatoes. Gardeners and green thumbs can show off pruning and planting. You’ll work with volunteers from area schools, scout troops, service organizations and other families who make working the farm a frequent activity.” The three-year impact of Fresh Future Farm includes one ton of produce sold and/ or distributed; more than 50 volunteer hours from area schools, businesses and state colleges; and more than 50 North Charleston school students participating in farm tours, camps, internships and volunteering. Fresh Future Farm is located at 2008 Success St., in North Charleston. For more information, call 843-804-9091, email FreshFutureFarm@gmail.com or visit FreshFutureFarm.org.
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