Community members are invited to attend the opening day of the Starke County Justice Center Farm Stand this Saturday.
Therapeutic Community Coordinator and Jail Warden Phill Cherry said the stand will be set up tomorrow from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in front of the Justice Center, located on State Road 8.
Cherry noted that earlier this week, the trustees in the F.A.R.M (Foster a Recovery Mentality) Program picked more than 1,000 lbs of produce that will be available at the farm stand. From cucumbers to zucchini, the warden said they have more than 10 different types of produce that they grow and there will plenty to choose from.
Aside from a plethora of produce and other plants, wood pallet art that the trustees created will also be available. Cherry said the painted pallets feature a variety of things such as flowers, cartoon characters and other designs.
Additionally, honey from the hives that were recently added to the garden area will be available at future events, once the first batch is ready to be extracted.
From now through September, Cherry said the Jail will host a farmer’s market every Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. The events will usually be held in front of the Justice Center, with the exception of next Saturday, July 28th, when they will have a booth set up at the Bass Lake Fest.
The garden has more than quadrupled in size since this program was first implemented a few years ago. Now in addition to utilizing the produce for the meals at the jail and donating some items, the trustees are able to offer the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor to the community!
In a previous interview, Warden Cherry shared that the money raised from these farm stand events will help fund the facility’s Therapeutic Community programs, such as the substance abuse program.
