By Brad Nygaard
The Bismarck Tribune, N.D.
BISMARCK, N.D. — Gardens at North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities produced more than 16,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables last year — nearly 65,000 servings — for local organizations that fight food insecurity.
Plots at the State Penitentiary and at the Missouri River Correctional Center in Bismarck, along with the James River Correctional Center in Jamestown, grew bell peppers, beets, tomatoes, squash and watermelons as part of programs designed to give prisoners purposeful work, according to a DOCR statement.
The gardens are part of a partnership with Harvest Now, a national nonprofit working with more than 100 prisons and correctional facilities in about a dozen states. The organization was founded in 2008 to address food insecurity and improve community health by feeding those in need through planting, growing and donating food from prison grounds and other sites.
Harvest Now founder Brooks Sumberg said the effort began “by accident,” when a suggestion to reach out to a nearby prison yielded 22,000 pounds of food in its first year. Since then, partnerships have produced more than 4 million pounds of food for families in need, according to the nonprofit.
“Having a garden inside the prison carries meaning on two levels: It supports the community on the outside and creates purpose for the residents on the inside,” said Travis Collins , community resource manager at the State Penitentiary in Bismarck.
North Dakota facilities donate 100% of their harvests to local organizations, exceeding the 85% requirement for Harvest Now partner sites. The Missouri River Correctional Center gave more than 3,800 pounds of produce to Heaven’s Helpers Soup Cafe in Bismarck, while the State Penitentiary donated nearly 2,000 pounds. The James River Correctional Center contributed more than 10,300 pounds — its largest yield to date — to local food pantries and the James River Senior Center.
The program also provides facilities with seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds and a small budget to maintain the gardens.
“I really liked working in the garden this year,” James River Correctional Center resident Coby Edwards said. “It got me away from the busyness of the facility. It got me out of my head and just let me be in the moment and enjoy picking weeds.”
DOCR said the program supports the department’s mission to transform lives, influence change and strengthen communities within and beyond prison walls.
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