Growing Together

Franklinton Farms produce packing building, artwork by @primarychild_

“Franklinton Farms’ mission is to nourish neighborhood wellbeing and connection through farming, gardening, and education.”

This mission statement is scattered throughout the Farms in word, action, and deed. Whether it be community festivals, educational programs, staff potlucks or the intentionally selected words that fall under the “About Us” page. Each iteration of this mission attempts to capture the whole vision of the Farms.

At times, these wide-sweeping vision statements can feel inspiring and motivating. But depending on the day and its specific challenges, they can also feel rather… big. The words carry a lot of responsibility and weigh heavy in the heart, especially when it seems like we encounter more problems than solutions.

Neighborhood wellbeing feels like an endless task when you think of the people who still don’t know we are or what we offer. Meaningful connection can feel difficult when many programs and food plots still need significant energy to thrive.

And sometimes, we won’t meet our goals or standards. Sometimes, we’ll face setbacks out of our control, and some within it.

fresh herbs from the Franklinton Farms’ community U-Pick Garden

My morning with the AmeriCorps VISTAs was a gentle reminder that cultivating the worthwhile things begins in small steps. The VISTAs had begun harvesting at six to escape the extreme heat, work that they do daily. I spent my morning harvesting herbs, lavender, sage, oregano, mint, and dill. It was nothing revolutionary, yet it somehow felt that way.

Harvesting food early in the morning felt so small in proportion to the breadth of never-ending problems and time-intensive solutions, but the VISTAs did it anyway. It can feel impossible when you come face-to-face with the time constraints, resource constraints, and systemic constraints, but choosing the option to make the world a bit better, even in a small way, is not for the faint of heart.

It requires softening the voice that says, “There’s too much. This isn’t enough,” and committing to small acts of goodness anyway. Renewal of revolutionary commitment starts small in the early hours of the morning with the urban farmers and volunteers who plant, cultivate, and harvest the good and bountiful food that Franklinton has to offer.

No one person nourishes “neighborhood wellbeing and connection through farming, garden, and education” alone. It only happens with a community dedicated to taking, and continuing to recognize the importance of, each and every small step on the way to success.