Community Initiative Spotlight: Urban GreenWorks' Mustard Seed Project

Photo Credit: Urban Greenworks

Meet Urban GreenWorks' Mustard Seed Project, a horticulture therapy and "farm-to-table" program at Agape House, a residential healthcare facility for formerly incarcerated women with a history of substance abuse. The program provides women released from prison the opportunity to learn, work, and heal in a food garden at their residential halfway house. They will work as interns at the Liberty City Farm to grow food for local residents.

Community Support: 

Urban Greenworks and The Mustard Seed Project has received tremendous support from the community, including a $20,000 grant from The Miami Foundation’s Community Grants Program and 10 acres of land from the County to develop into a Food Forest. It allows for additional training opportunities for Agape House residents and also helps the surrounding community reap the benefits of healthy, affordable, and organic produce in a "food desert."

Success Stories:

Agape House produces many personal success stories due to the nature of the house and its internship program. Many women come to Agape never having held a job, declaring themselves to be "virtually unemployable." The program's broad reach and flexibility allows these women to work in a variety of gardening and farming roles around the city, gaining important skills and confidence. The manager of the Liberty City Farm, for example, has "blossomed" into a hard-working employee who spends 30 hours a week (or more) directing employees and monitoring crops. She is an important team member who's struggled through addiction and domestic violence, and now she has demonstrated her resolve and employability.