FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does Earthworks do?
Earthworks’ primary activities include running a 1.5 acre farm and apiary, hosting classes for Detroit gardeners, hosting two youth programs for area kids, attending markets with youth during the growing season, and providing support for guests of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen who are interested in gardening and food justice. We are a full program of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and have our offices and gardens on their grounds.
Where is Earthworks headed?
Towards food justice for all! Every day we are striving to be more responsive to our soup kitchen community and neighborhood. Currently, the majority of our produce is incorporated in the meals at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and we are planning to install a commercial hoop house (similar to a greenhouse but uses only heat from the sun) to provide greens for the soup kitchen and for marketing to the public. We are also increasing opportunities for youth and adult community residents to be leaders in creating a just food system by offering a summer program for local teens and working with soup kitchen guests to reach their goals related to food access in our neighborhood (such as establishing community gardens and a mobile market).
Is Earthworks certified organic?
Yes.
We have always used farm practices we consider to be beyond organic standards and, in the past, had seen no reason to pay the fees associated with certification. We also believe we as people should get to know the faces and stories behind our food and not simply trust in some sticker on our food to tell us it’s safe or it’s organic.
We use no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers in our gardens. We rely mainly on compost and green manure (cover crops grown to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil) for fertilizers. We focus on strong healthy soils for prevention of pest problems. We let 20% of our beds rest at any given time to restore soil health. We plant in harmony with the seasons and use mulch to conserve resources such as water.
All that said, we took advantage of funding from the recent Farm Bill to cover most of the certification costs for small farms. We decided to do this so we can lead other small urban farms though the process. We know that being certified organic will open up more marketing opportunities for small farmers.
How does Earthworks fit into the greater urban agriculture work in Detroit?
Earthworks is one of the many examples of urban agriculture and food justice organizations in Detroit. We are independent of other agriculture organizations in the city, but mutually supportive and connected to many of them through professional and personal partnerships and friendships. We partner with The Greening of Detroit, the Detroit Agriculture Network, and Michigan State University Extension to form the Garden Resource Program Collaborative, through which we provide resources to area gardeners (www.detroitagriculture.org). We partner with Gleaners Community Food Bank (www.gcfb.org) in operating our largest garden site behind their warehouse on Beaufait and various outreach programs.
Who are the partners of Earthworks?
Earthworks has a variety of partners in our work to increase food security in Detroit, including: Gleaners Community Food Bank, The Greening of Detroit, Detroit Agriculture Network, Michigan State University Extension, WIC/Project Fresh, Wayne State University through SEED Wayne. We are a member of the Michigan Farmer’s Market Association. Other organizations that we are fond of, although not necessarily formally partnered with, are listed on our links page.
What do people want and need from Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Earthworks?
The answers to this vary significantly from a shower and hot meal to spiritual guidance and a sense of community. We are working on asking this question more and opening our ears more to listen.
Are we as Earthworks doing what is really needed?
We are doing our best to ask ourselves this. The need in Detroit for strong, just communities with widespread access to healthy food is great. We know that we ourselves can never meet this need alone but through education and inspiration we are taking steps towards a just, beautiful world. We welcome your ideas and input as to how we can be more effective in our work.
What about the lack of racial diversity in Earthworks?
We are fully aware of the differences in the racial makeup of our staff and the majority of our volunteers from the racial makeup of our neighborhood and Detroit. We feel that is important for decision-makers and leaders in Earthworks to be more representative of the community we work with. We are consistently and deliberately attempting to increase the participation of all members of our community in our work and hope to provide more and more opportunities for people of all backgrounds to meet and work together. We also see much of our work as building up the community (especially the youth) to eventually take over our mission and do the work for themselves, making us obsolete. In the meantime, we are conscious of and sensitive to how we do our work and recognize that race and racism play a large role in our work towards a just food system.
Who is the “customer” of Earthworks?
Earthworks serves a lot of various needs, including one of humanity’s primary needs: to be connected to the earth. Throughout our programming, our primary goals are for the involvement of our local community, including guests of the soup kitchen, and our neighbors, especially the youth. We value the involvement of volunteers and activists from all over the Metro-Detroit region, but are working primarily to change our local environment.
How does Earthworks fit into Capuchin Soup Kitchen?
Earthworks is a full program of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, established in 1998 by a Capuchin friar employed by the kitchen. Our offices are located on site of the Meldrum Street Kitchen and the majority of our produce goes in to meals at the kitchen. We see the soup kitchen as being one of our primary communities and we are continually striving to meet the needs of and engage soup kitchen guests in our work for a just food system. The soup kitchen hosts a variety of other programs, including a drug treatment center, a children’s art therapy program, grandparent’s clubs and much more. Please ask us or visit the Capuchin Soup Kitchen’s homepage at www.cskdetroit.org for more information on the activities of the soup kitchen.
Do you ever pray in the gardens?
The Capuchin Soup Kitchen, as a program sponsored by a Catholic organization, hosts weekly prayer sessions on Wednesday mornings. Twice a year, we host a garden blessing, which incorporates these prayer sessions in a garden setting. We often feel that the close unity to nature (and a higher power, for some) achieved through gardening is satisfactory for many of our volunteers. One Earthworks volunteer once said “everything we do here is a prayer.”
Where can I buy produce from Earthworks?
Earthworks produce is for sale on a limited basis through our Youth Farm Stand markets around the city. Please check our calendar for updated information about where you'll find us this week. Otherwise, our produce is directed to meals at the soup kitchen - feel free to join us for lunch anytime! Lunch is served Monday through Friday, 11-1pm. All are welcome. If you like, feel free to leave a donation in the jar. There’s also breakfast, Monday through Friday from 830-930am, but rarely do vegetables from the garden end up in breakfast! Other Earthworks products, such as handbalm, jam, and honey, are available for purchase throughout the year from our garage office.
How can I get involved?
One of the best ways for you to be involved in creating a food secure society is to begin closest to home by starting or joining a community garden in your own community and buying local! We welcome your involvement on our farm in many different ways. We always host volunteers at our weekly volunteer days or youth program nights and often have special projects or events that we ask for additional help with. If you are interested in those opportunities, please sign up for our weekly e-mail update.
Other ideas to get involved include hosting a local foods dinner at your home to raise awareness and funds for our work, supporting local farmer’s markets, talking to your friends about food justice, and more.
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