“We have youth that are coming in from homelessness and need steady work. What we’d like to do is have an opportunity where a youth comes in and says, ‘hmm, I want to try out the cafe, try out the farm, figure out which one suits my interestes and skills’, and then give people the option. On the farm they would be helping the farm manager with everything from seeding to transplanting to pest maintenance to sales…It’s kind of a flexible vocational training.”
After going through the training program, Kula youth are given a chance to work with a local business. IFN pays the first two weeks of a student’s employment, so that there is less risk to the business owner. After the two week “trial period” is over,the business may keep the student on as an employee.
“…So if you’re a restaurant owner,” said Nick, “I could go up to you and say, ‘Hey, I’ll pay this guy to work for you [for] 80 hours. If it doesn’t work out, you can let him go, but there’s no risk to you.’ That’s what gets them in the door. Then usually they do a good job, and they stay on, and they have work.”
Through Kula Cafe, most students (four to six per training program) are placed with restaurants. Nick hopes thatKula Urban Farm will both increase that capacity to train and increase the variety of jobs that students are prepared for. Knowing the impact that Kula Cafe has had already on the Asbury Park community and it’s youth, Nick has great hopes for Kula Urban Farm.
About Kula Urban Farm.
Interfaith Neighbors already owned a residential lot (sized 50 x 100 feet) adjacent to the cafe, so all that IFN needed was a project leader, funding, and a plan. Nick Silverman became Farm Manager and Project lead for the farm. His task was to build the site, get it running, and create an income stream whilebuilding up a job-training program. Building a greenhouse in a seaside city required some perserverence, (one challenge was building a facility that could withstand hurricane-level winds) but the Kula Urban Farm greenhouse was built.
The farm is the definition of an urban farm; high density production on a small space in the middle of the city. Nick started by building a 24 x 72 foot greenhouse, outfitted with a ZipGrow hydroponic system, followed by 23 raised beds and a shed. There’s not much space left on the lot, but Nick knows that he can still scale up some within the space. One main reason that the IFN team chose ZipGrow Towers was that they allowed extremely high density production within the greenhouse, leaving space for other techniques and crops on the rest of the lot.
What does the future hold?
Nick is excited to start entering new markets and training programs with the farm. “There is an increasing interest in our area for local, healthy food, and we want to be a focal point of that interest for our city and region,” said Nick and IFN head Roger Boyce. “We also hope to bridge the divide between the east (more affluent) and west sides of our city, literally divided by railroad tracks, by hosting events and bringing residents to heretofore unfamiliar parts of the city.”
Interest in Kula Urban Farms is still coming strong from the community, and other opportunities like a new park being built forecast a bright year for Kula Urban Farm.
Enjoy hearing about Upstart Farmers like Kula Urban Farm?
Then you’ll love meeting the rest of the Upstart Farmers.