Youth Farm mural celebrated

BY ED FELIEN

Last month the Powderhorn Youth Farm and Market Project unveiled a mural at 34th Street and Chicago Avenue on the north side of Southeast Asian Family Services. It celebrates the work of young people involved in planting, harvesting and marketing their own food.

Youth Farm has nine garden sites and over two acres of gardens in Minneapolis and St. Paul. This year they will produce over 4,000 pounds of fresh, local produce. Volunteers regularly put in over a thousand hours, and they work directly with 300 youth ages 9 to 13. Youth Farm employs 25 teens as interns during the school year and as youth staff during the summer.

The Powderhorn branch has (in addition to the mural) sponsored a second annual Pancake Breakfast at Powderhorn Park, marched in the May Day Parade and celebrated with a community Harvest Dinner. They continue to sell their produce at Midtown and Mill City Market. They sponsored a Hip Hop theater group that performed at their Harvest Festival.

Zoe Sommers Haas is the Powderhorn Project director. At the dedication ceremony she said, "We focus on organic gardening, cooking and have afternoon activities. This mural project was one of our afternoon activities. It was an exciting process. It began as a hopeful thought. It led to a conversation which sparked excitement, grant writing and a hunt for the perfect wall. Five months later it is a reality. The conversation was with Chaka Mkali, program coordinator of HOPE Community." He worked directly with the young people to produce the mural.
Hooray for the Powderhorn Youth Farm and Market Project!

Go see the mural!