MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee woman is showing young adults the value of inner city farming and beyond. A program started in the Lindsey Heights neighborhood is planting seeds and healing souls.
Just south of Fond Du Lac Avenue is a garden growing with produce and potential.
"If you grow your own food nothing is in control of you," said Jacquelen Kelly, Seeds, Soil & Soul trainee. "This is a money source and a food source."
Six months ago, Jacquelen Kelly was looking for direction in life. The 24-year-old had just spent nearly five years in prison for petty theft. He knew it was time for a change. Alice's Garden gave him the second chance he needed to start again.
"I strongly believe that the urban contexts has a labor force needed to save a small family farms, to heal a broken food system and to bring life invocation back to people in the city such as Milwaukee," said Venice Williams.
Venice Williams is the program director of Seeds, Soil & Soul, an earn to learn adult urban farmer training program. The two year program combines urban agriculture with faith based teachings.
"They study a parable we take a parable and we unpack that and what does this ancient parable mean for your life today."
In the program's short existence, Venice's vision to get young people excited about farming has already gotten the attention of Farm-Aid and rural farmers in Wisconsin.
The trainees also have the opportunity to do work study on other farms. Anna Stallworth traveled to Delavan to learn from rural farmers at Turtle Creek Gardens.
The Milwaukee native was super to see the vast fields ready for harvest.
"It's like Alice's garden on steroids... it's like a candy store."
The programs first trainees have found more than purpose in a new found passion they say have been able to find the seed of peace germinating in the soil.
"It gives you time to reflect," said Stallworth. "I think that is amazing. Just you and the soil and I feel everyone should be able to experience something like that ... because in one way or another that is something we are all looking for."
To learn how you can get started in the next training session, click here. You can also click here for more information on the program.
