Growing a bountiful community

04-03-2023

Rev. Melody Seaton’s passion for a thriving community was fertile ground to receive a parishioner’s suggestion to use three acres of the church’s property to grow and provide organic vegetables for their community. They also are replenishing the earth.

Rev. Melody Seaton wasn’t quite sure about using some of the church’s property as farmland when a church member proposed the idea to her. Yet, the pastor at Grace United Church of Christ in Sauk Village, Illinois was open to exploring the concept and learning about a horticulture program at the Chicago Botanical Gardens that taught people how to develop, run, and manage a farm.

“What piqued my interest was that the program encourages formerly incarcerated people to participate,” says Rev. Seaton, M.Div’05, a retired Chicago Public School principal. “Some years ago, I had met a young man when he was in prison, and I talked with him many times. I encouraged him and saw him come out and start his own cleaning business. There’s a future when people have support.”

Continued research on farming connected Rev. Seaton with Sean Ruane, the co-founder and CEO of Just Roots Chicago, an organization that collaborates with communities to develop access to local, sustainably organic produce. “What struck me was his passion for farming and his motives,” says Rev. Seaton, “He talked about food justice, food equity…it was about stopping food apartheid. We would be growing organic produce and making it available to people who normally couldn’t afford it…half would just be given away. He was serious about helping underserved communities.”

Delayed, but not discouraged

At the end of 2019, Rev. Seaton and several members of Grace UCC planned to get the farm started in the summer of 2020, “but things came to a halt a few months into that year,” she remembers. “We made the best use of that time. We researched and applied for grants and talked it up with more community stakeholders.”

It Takes a Village Community Farm broke ground in 2021 with cover crops, plants that help with soil erosion, improve soil health, and can lead to the successful growth of future crops. Last summer, the farm had a bountiful harvest of squash, okra, a variety of greens, tomatoes, peppers, and red and green cabbage, although deer ate most of the green cabbage.

The farm stand was well supported by community residents and more than 30 residents volunteered at the farm, receiving discounts on their produce purchases. In addition to farm stand customers, nearly 200 people each week received free, locally grown organic produce from Grace UCC’s food pantry and a second pantry in that community. The farm hired two young people who learned about farming and helped to build a heated greenhouse so that some produce can be grown and provided year round.

“A very special highlight from the past summer was having school children visit,” says Rev. Seaton. “This year, we’ve put in planting beds so that they can do their own planting and watch their plants grow.”

From learning about composting to rotating crops, Rev. Seaton and Grace UCC have grown from their efforts. “We have empowered ourselves; we have amazed ourselves,” says Rev. Seaton, “we have shown ourselves that even a small church community can bring an abundance of healthy food to its community. By caring for the soil, we can do this for years to come.”

It Takes a Village Community Farm is located at 2500 223rd St. in Sauk Village, Ill. It’s open to the public from 9 am to noon on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Contact jess@justrootschicago.org for information on volunteer opportunities and special events at the farm.

Rev. Melody Seaton

Grace UCC’s harvest

It Takes a Village Community Farm team