Methodists’ garden has multiple missions

United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond has begun turning 1 acre at a church-owned camp into a source of nourishment and hands-on lessons for residents of the city.

The project, called Shalom Farms, involves creating an intensive, organic garden on the property of Westview on the James, a United Methodist camp and conference center in Goochland County. Shalom Farms could be as large as 2 acres in its first year, and it has room to expand to 100 acres, said the Rev. N. David Cooper, the ministries' executive director.

For the first year, Cooper said, "16,000 pounds is a conservative estimate" of how much food the ministry expects the garden to produce. Crops will include cucumbers, potatoes, broccoli, bush beans, okra, peppers, summer squash and sweet potatoes.

Shalom Farms will donate most of the food to the Central Virginia Foodbank in the first year, with some distributed through Richmond neighborhoods groups in Bellemeade, Chimborazo, Oak Grove and Swansboro.

The cost to start the program is estimated at $130,000 for the first year, and up to $300,000 for the first three years. Cooper said he would like to see the garden eventually become self-sustaining through sales of some of its crops.

Shalom Farms will welcome students from Oak Grove/Bellemeade and Chimborazo elementary schools to help teach them how fresh food is grown and how its nutritional value compares with fast food.

Cooper said he proposed the concept of Shalom Farms two years ago, when the board of Westview on the James was discussing ways it could serve the people of Richmond. A year later, he proposed the idea again.

"People are losing their jobs, people are losing their homes," Cooper said in remembering his proposal to the board. "Might there be an opportunity here to connect the camp to the needs of neighborhoods?"

Cooper, who worked in commercial construction before earning a theological degree and a master's degree in social work, said he learned the benefits of home gardening as a child, when his mother and grandmother kept a garden. He and his wife keep a home garden.

"When I talk about summer squash coming to harvest, I know what that looks like," he said.

The idea for Shalom Farms emerged from the needs he was hearing about and seeing in his work with area food banks.

Rob Moore, a community developer with UMUMR, is doing much of the ground work on Shalom Farms, right down to the details of planting seeds all day on Tuesday after the plot was tilled earlier in the month.

"We're shooting for an organic standard in the life of the farm," Moore said. "It's a growth opportunity for me, because my background is in theological education."

Katye Parker Snipes, another community developer for UMUMR, coordinates volunteers, many of whom are from United Methodist churches. "We've got youth groups, groups of elderly women, groups of high school students and several groups of college students," she said.

Snipes said about 80 people have volunteered to work as planters. Shalom Farms will have additional help at harvest time, when the Society of Saint Andrew, a grass-roots hunger-relief ministry, will help with labor and the foodbank will provide food bins.

Cooper stressed that the goal of Shalom Farms is not simply to give away food, but also to encourage residents of Richmond to build smaller-scale projects in their backyards and their neighborhoods.

"The church is good at charity," Cooper said. "One of the things we're less good at is justice ministry. We would love to see people not ever have to return to the foodbank" because of the skills they learn through Shalom Farms.

"What I find exciting about Shalom Farms is their very direct plan of bringing inner-city youth to the property, to get them involved in the planning and learning that green beans don't all come from a can," said Rick Holzbach, food resource manager for the Central Virginia Foodbank.

Such programs "teach the next generation self-sustainability and healthier eating habits," he said. "If this could be duplicated across the country, we would see such relief."

Shalom Farms plans a grand-opening celebration at 11 a.m. on May 2. The event will include tours and information about the farm's work.