Announcements

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  Miracle farms grow in Gary

  Faith Farms makes its great leap forward to year round growing

  Read more by click on link below:

  http://gary411news.com/news-detail.aspx?typeID=12&newsid=44424

  FARMERS MARKET AT FAITH FARMS Miracle farms grow in Gary Contributed By:The 411 News Faith Farms makes its great leap forward to year round growing   In case you missed it, a tour of Gary’s farms was held on September 23: Seven of them, including East Chicago’s Aquaponics farm. It’s in a greenhouse that uses water instead of soil.  Now, two of the 7 might be subject to debate. Walter Jones’ Grow Space sits in a yard between two houses. He fits in about 15 types of vegetables in the garden that’s dedicated to a network of word-of-mouth customers. Jones doesn’t use pesticides or herbicides.  The Blind Social Center’s Living and Learning Garden is a new project at the center. The garden has raised beds at various heights to accommodate different physical abilities of the center’s patrons. For the visually impaired, audio units describe the type of produce growing in each bed.  Remaining farms on the tour were Peace Baptist Church’s Peace Garden and Farms, Christ United Methodist Church’s Stewart House Urban Farm & Garden, and Progressive Community Church’s Faith Farms. The last is Thea Bowman Leadership Academy’s Eagles Nest, a student run farm that has hens and milking goats. The school sells its eggs.  In just four years, Faith Farms has expanded from a few vegetable plots to growing year round. At last week’s Farmers Market, summer crops were being harvested and sold. Seeds for winter crops of greens, cabbage, onions, beets, and carrots will be set in compost cells to get them started before placing them in the ground of a hoophouse. The farm has 3 hoophouses for growing and a fourth for the seed house.  “We didn’t have a clue when we started growing food,” said Progressive’s Pastor Curtis Whittaker. “So, me and my wife, LaShawn, went to Milwaukee. We took classes at Growing Power from Will Allen, the father of urban agriculture in America.”  Pastor Whittaker asked Freida Graves, another church member who didn’t have a clue about growing food to be the farm administrator. “I was afraid of bees,” Graves said. And she didn’t have a garden at home.  The nurse said she prayed on it and then found the time to do it. “As we got out here, we got educated from other farmers.” Graves is also in Purdue’s Master Gardener class.  The farm is approved for SNAP and EBT benefits, and debit card purchases.  That such labor-intensive work would be welcomed in the 21st century is a miracle in itself and a tribute to the collective spirit of the people who’ve made the farms successful.  Gary’s farm tour was among three tours that day sponsored by the Northwest Indiana Food Council’s Farm Hop. Other tours were of local farms in Valparaiso and LaPorte.  I love it. We’re donating food back to the community as well as selling. People are eating healthier. – Freida Graves, Faith Farms administrator  The farm is going to grow more kale this winter. Everybody wants it in their smoothies because it’s healthy and they want to lose weight. – Linda Patterson, Faith Farms  We wanted to grow a lot of food because our community is in the middle of a food desert – Pastor Curtis Whittaker, Progressive Community Church  My daughter has the most fun playing in mud puddles – Anne Massie, Northwest Indiana Food Council  Our first farmers market customers – Pastor Curtis Whittaker   Story Posted:10/23/2017
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  Quality of Life-Final Plan

• The Legacy Foundation awarded Gary Downtown-Emerson’s convening organization, Families Anchored In Total Harmony (F.A.I.T.H.) CDC Neighborhood Spotlight

  

  The Legacy Foundation awarded Gary Downtown-Emerson’s convening organization, Families Anchored In Total Harmony (F.A.I.T.H.) CDC Neighborhood Spotlight distinction.

   

  In January 2016, Gary Downtown-Emerson hired a team of community builders: Brenda Burch, Elaine Castellanos, and Michael Lewers.* Due to extenuating circumstances, The GAR-DEN has hired two new Community Builders hired Phyliss Haberkamp and Burgess Peoples. The Downtown-Emerson Spotlight Steering Committee was then formed to help carry out their community quality of life study. The Downtown-Emerson Spotlight Steering Committee is an all-volunteer group, invested in the Neighborhood Spotlight process. Along with the community builders, they’re working to build relationships with local community groups, businesses, residents, and leaders.

   

  Gary Downtown-Emerson Spotlight and its Convening Organization: F.A.I.T.H. CDC

   

  Families Anchored in Total Harmony Community Development Corpora on (FAITH CDC) is a consortium of four churches in the Emerson neighborhood. Initially incorporated in 2006 as the outreach arm of Progressive Community Church (PCC), FAITH CDC expanded in 2012 through the leadership of Rev. Curtis Whittaker, PCC Senior Pastor, and has since launched a variety of community-building and civic initiatives.

   

  F.A.I.T.H. CDC is a comprehensive, grassroots, faith-based vision for the transformation of the marginalized and distressed urban neighborhood of Downtown-Emerson. Started as a vision of Progressive Community Church, F.A.I.T.H. CDC is now comprised of four diverse faith communities (Agape Fellowship, Centennial United Methodist Church, Progressive Community Church, and Saints Monica and Luke Catholic Parish) that possess the unique ability to reach out to residents of the Downtown-Emerson Neighborhoods. The vision of F.A.I.T.H. CDC is to be a voice for the voiceless in our neighborhoods and to cultivate local engagement while bringing together new allies beyond the neighborhood who are willing to share resources and experience. As recipients of this award, we confirm that "Our Voice Is Being Heard!!!!!"
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  FAITH CDC... We are continuing to move... Congratulations!

  What a night! Proud to announce that FAITH CDC is the Neighborhood Spotlight Awardee. Thank you!

  FAITH CDC... We are continuing to move... Congratulations!