Michigan correctional facilities across Michigan yield over 116,000 pounds of produce
By Nick Lentz
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Michigan (WWJ) — Gardens at Michigan correctional facilities this year have generated over 116,000 pounds of produce, which has been donated to food pantries and other community groups, state officials said Friday.
The Michigan Department of Corrections provides gardens and horticultural programs for incarcerated individuals in at least 19 facilities across the state.
According to the agency, the gardens yielded 116,455 pounds of fresh produce this year, which was donated to food pantries, residential care facilities, churches and other organizations.
Officials said the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater recorded 31,896 pounds of produce, the most of any facility in Michigan.
The Macomb Correctional Facility in Lenox Township donated over 6,000 pounds, including 20 pumpkins, to at least two Metro Detroit nonprofits dedicated to helping people dealing with domestic violence.
“Many months of planning go into one growing season,” said Michigan Department of Corrections Horticulture Instructor Brad Dean said in a news release.
Ellen Baron, a horticulture instructor at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti, added, “Almost as soon as the last growing season ends, we are already thinking about and planning for the next season.”
The state agency said it’s donated food and helped raise funds for charities for over 10 years. Nonprofits and pantries interested in partnering with them next year are asked to call Public Information Officer Jenni Riehle at 517-241-0363.
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