The Community and Homefields

Our efforts to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to sustainably maintain our land have received wide recognition and support—from individuals, groups, and organizations.

Grants

The United Way awarded Homefields a $22K “Level Up & Launch” grant to start an agricultural workforce training program for four local high schools, providing 40 students with basic skills that transfer to growing environments like farms, nurseries, and greenhouses. Read more here.

Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Department of Agriculture

Over 5 years, the NCRS will grant Homefields $7500 to implement cover crops that improve soil health, using standards and specifications set by them.

Northeast SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education)

A $26,918 project at Homefields studies planting methods known as Brazilian syntropic farming practices, for high-conservation-value nut tree species in PA. Dr. Christopher S. Stieha, associate professor of biology at Millersville University, will be the technical advisor. Nut trees studied include: Butternut, Hazelnut, Pecan, Allegheny Chinkapin, Bladdernut, and Haskaps. Information gathered will be widely distributed.

The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation

A $25,000 grant allowed us to plant an orchard with raspberry, blackberry and mulberry varieties, and will fund protective therapy for workers’ hands. The height of the trees allows harvesting by people with mobility barriers, making this a pertinent project for Homefields, and the bushes mitigate water runoff. Organic berries are also a value product for our CSA.

The Positive Energy Fund, Millersville University

In a partnership with Millersville University, Homefields was granted $2500 to plant and grow sustainable spring perennial native vegetables (specifically asparagus and ramps), to support food security and a Hunger Free Campus.

Millersville Community Engagement Grant

An additional $2000 support arrived through Millersville University, for interns and materials to create activities for Homefields Care Farm volunteers and farm workers. The parameters of this grant are to serve “the L/DD, ASD, and neurodiverse population through nature based experiential programs.”

Sierra Club

Two $500 grants support Homefields’ community engagement at Manor Market Millersville, and our participation in the National Butterfly Association’s July Count. The latter monitors the health of butterfly populations in North America, as well as providing instruction on how to design and create butterfly gardens.

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation granted Homefields 1,200 plant plugs valued at $4 each. The purpose of these plants is to enhance communities by supporting native pollinators in public spaces, but additional benefit to our Care Farm is clear.

Community Outreach

• Conestoga Valley High School Transition Team students, led by teacher Jay Grisalfi, potted our native plant seeds and organized a plant sale that provided $1,000 to Homefields’ Fund a Farmer campaign.

• The Loft Community Partnership team arrives weekly during the growing season to accept surplus organic produce. The Loft is our farm-to-table outreach connection with Manor Township residents who are food insecure.

• Homestead Village sustainability committee participants came to our farm to learn about native plants, planting techniques, and returned home with plants to begin a personal pollinator garden. The 3-hour program, which ended with nature journaling, was led by Carol Welsh, Experience Homefields committee member, and Andrew Phillips, Farmer.

• Millersville University’s 3rd Annual Global Goals Conference featured Carol Welsh and Karen Risser on a panel that presented Homefields’ role in fighting food insecurity regionally. This year’s conference was titled Zero Hunger.

• Business practice students from Franklin and Marshall college (F&M) conducted a research project at Homefields about our CSA member loyalty. Their findings were useful in planning the current season.

• Film-making students from F&M chose Homefields as their subject, creating a documentary which included interviews with the farm team and c0-founder Linda Strauss.

• The PA Guild of Craftsmen has offered to co-host a number of Nature Journaling with Native Plants classes at Homefields, led by Carol Welsh.

• Manor Market in Millersville is a monthly opportunity for our teams to meet community members, sharing information about our programs and gathering knowledge about topics of interest to them.

Internships

Homefields gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the Walters/Unitarian Church Trust, an endowment from Arthur and Selma Walters, in making our programs a reality. In awarding a grant, the UUCL board has acknowledged the contribution of Homefields in achieving the vision of inclusiveness among all humans as well as respect for the dignity and worth of each individual, as promoted by the Walters Trust and UUCL.