Pingree Farms making a difference for Detroit school students
(CBS DETROIT) - A local farm is looking to become the hub of agricultural education in the city of Detroit.
Pingree Farms is a nonprofit dedicated to neighborhood revitalization and youth education through urban agriculture.
The nonprofit is partnering with area schools and wants students to visit the farm, learn a skill, and then take what they've learned back to their community.
"You never would think that there are eight different types of animals behind the gas station on 7 Mile," said Clarence Price, executive director at Pingree Farm. "I never knew what it took, I'm not a farmer. I'm from the ghetto. I've never known anything about animals and farming."
Once a novice, today Price is well versed in the art of agriculture and archery. He's teaching seventh-grade students from Dove Academy of Detroit everything he knows.
"At first I was like, hmm, and then I came here and was like, 'This is gon' actually be fun,'" Cassydi Tovar, one of the students, said.
There are at least a dozen urban farms in the city of Detroit.
Pingree sits on the southwest corner of I-75 and 7 Mile and is one of the largest urban farms in the city, offering respite to students who may not even know they need it.
"All the students you see here are all students who come from the community. So, they're seeing the violence. They're seeing what's changing in their schools," Price said.
The farm was started in 2010 when Jim and Shelly Green, owners of Milton Manufacturing, noticed a need for a new life in a blighted neighborhood. Now, where dilapidated homes once stood there are rows and rows of crops.
Each year Pingree Farms produces about 10,000 pounds of fresh produce. That produce supports seven different food banks throughout the area. Serving students and supplying sustenance is just a small piece of all the possibilities at Pingree.
According to Price, most inner-city students depend on their schools to supply food, so they're often hungriest over the weekend. Pingree Farms wants to remedy that. The team is rolling out a snack pack program soon that will give kids and their families a chance to pick up fresh produce during the weekend they need it.
