Recipient Organization
REFORMED CHURCH OF HIGHLAND PARK AFFORDABLE HOUSING CORPORATION
19 S 2ND AVE
HIGHLAND PARK,NJ 08904
Performing Department
Interfaith-RISE
Non Technical Summary
Interfaith-RISE refugee resettlement program provides supportive services for newly arrived refugees in central NJ, with a critical focus on its Flourshing Through Food: Holistic Food Security Program which enhances food access and increases positive health outcomes for refugees by making these issues a priority focus from arrival. An integral part of this program is Global Grace Farms, a refugee-run community farm connecting refugees to food sovereignty, job readiness training, and employment opportunities. Overall Program goals include: 1) increased access to fresh, health food through Farm activities and benefits training; 2) improve job skills and employment readiness through Farm training programs and employment opportunities; 3) support mental health and build community through community workdays and events; 4) increase Farm production capacity through infrastructure and community-driven evaluation.Participants gain: greater access to fresh, nutritious produce and eggs, via community garden plots, sliding scale CSA, a mobile Pop Up Farm Stand that sets up in low food-access areas, and free produce distribution for workers after each Farm shift; healthier diets; improved understanding of local food environment via training on utilizing Federal food benefits at farmers markets, ethnic markets, and groceries; employment skills and support through Farm training and employment programs; and an enhanced sense of wellbeing and confidence through participation in positive, generative community of refugees and US-born community members.Located on up to 2.5 acres at Rutgers University, Farm production and programming are managed by staff with refugee backgrounds from Pakistan and Afghanistan, and are supported by refugee Farm Stewards from around the globe. Global Grace Farms also interfaces with RCHP-AHC's other Global Grace micro-business for refugees - Global Grace Café and Marketplace - to sell produce and to incorporate Farm food into Café meals for the refugees, homeless individuals, and the public.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Goal 1: Increase access to healthy, culturally appropriate food for 922 community members through engaging 196 refugees/families in farming and selling food via the CSA, Global Grace Café and Pop-Up Farm Stand.Outcomes 1:6 refugees/refugee families receive technical assistance to produce their own food on personal Garden Plots in Year 1; 10-12 in years 2-4.100% of program participants take food home from the Farm each time they work.80% of participants report that they are saving money on groceries.80% of program participants report an improved diet and health outcome.5% of food prepared at Global Grace Café will be harvested from GG Farms.120 NJ residents join the GG Farms CSA over 4 years; sliding scale rate reserved for 25% of shares.100 NJ residents purchase food at Pop Up Farm Stand or Global Grace Marketplace yearly.80% of program participants report a greater awareness of their food environment.100% understand how to use SNAP/EBT & WIC benefits at stores and farmers markets.Goal 2: Improve the skills and job readiness of 110 refugee participants through an agricultural program that combines employment and leadership skills training with farm management activities.Outcomes 2:20 refugee clients participate in the GG Farms Employment Readiness Program in Year 1; 25 in Year 2; 30 in Year 3; 35 in Year 4.80% Refugees report employment skills learned and/or improved.80% Refugees report increased confidence and empowerment through program participation.Goal 3: Support improved mental health and sense of community among 164 new Americans through facilitating more interactions and connections with the local community.Outcomes 3:36 Community Workdays held yearly with refugee and community members.4 community Farm events each year hosted by refugee leaders.80% Refugee participant report increased social bonds and feelings of community connection.Goal 4: To increase the production capacity and self-sustainability GG Farms as a refugee-run project through infrastructure, staffing, and programs.Outcomes 4:Obtain accessable toilet and handwashing facilities, wash and pack station & a cooler for cold storage of produce.Cultivate .5 acres in Year 1, increasing in cultivated area in partnership with Rutgers.Evaluation-driven program design via yearly quantitative participant surveys and Year 2 & 4 qualitative data projects.
Project Methods
ACTIVITIES 6-12 refugees/refugee families receive technical assistance to produce their own food on personal Garden Plots - Six 18x20 fenced-in Plots - expanding up to 12 with an expansion in land from Rutgers - in addition to tools, equipment, seeds/seedlings, and water for participant use. Upon sign up, the Farm Coordinator will interview participants to determine their level of gardening skill, the types of foods they would like to grow, and help suggest close equivalents to home-country produce that grow well in NJ. He will arrange a convenient time to help get them started on cultivation, and will check in regularly during the growing season to answer questions, troubleshoot, and offer advice or techniques to maximize yield.5% of food prepared at Global Grace Café uses produce from Global Grace Farms to provide meals for homeless populations in the greater New Brunswick, NJ area, and for purchase by the public. Global Grace Farms sells/donates food to Global Grace Café a minimum of six times per growing season.80% of participants report saving money on groceries. Participants will report they are saving money through Garden Plots, taking home produce and eggs after working on the Farm, and through I-RISE's Holistic Food Security Program.80% of participants report an improved diet and perceived health outcomes. Participants will have access to fresh, healthy foods including taking home free produce at the end of their work shift, growing vegetables on Garden Plots, and learning how to use SNAP/EBT and WIC benefits at farmers markets. Women-led peer Community Health Promoters address the social determinates of health with clients, linking access to nutritious food, transportation, income, education, healthcare access, and social support to overall health outcomes for clients and their families.80% of program participants report a greater awareness of their food environment - through field trips to farmers markets, and connections to cultural food stores gained through interactions with other refugees, with Farm and I-RISE staff and peer mentors, and through community connections.100% of program participants take food home from workdays at the Farm. 100% of refugee participants who are accompanied to a local farmers market will understand how to use SNAP/EBT and WIC benefits at farmers markets for fresh produce.8 employment-ready refugee Farm Stewards are employed for part-time on the Farm during Year 1, 10 in Year 2, 12 in Year 3, 14 in Year 4. Farm Stewards will be hired to work approximately 10 hours per week on the farm during growing season, assisting with chicken care, weeding, irrigation, planting and harvesting during the week and during weekend Community Workdays.Farm Development120 residents of Central NJ join the GG Farms CSA over 4 years; up to 25% at reduced or sliding-scale rate for low-income members. GG Farms will sell shares of the Global Grace Farms CSA, harvested and boxed by Employment Readiness Program participants, Farm Stewards and community volunteers at Community Workdays, and CSA members pick up boxes at a designated location. Delivery for lower-income or transportation-challenged CSA members is available.100 residents of Central NJ purchase food at Pop Up Farm Stand each year - at local farmers markets, at GG Marketplace and at area low-food access faith communities a minimum of six times during the growing season.GG Farms will expand from .5 acres over 4 years in partnership with Rutgers (up to 2.5 acres) - portable bathroom and handwashing facilities, purchasing a wash and pack station, and installing a cooler in our trailer for cold storage of produce.Training & Employment Readiness20 refugees participate in Employment Readiness Program in Year 1; 25 in Year 2; 30 in Year 3; 35 in Year 4. Refugee clients can participate in two Farm programs: 1) Employment Readiness Program and 2) Farm Steward program. The Employment Readiness Program pairs employment skills training with hands-on farm work. Participants complete farm tasks, learn valuable employment skills, practice English, and experience positive community interaction while simultaneously receiving assistance to secure full-time employment. Farm Stewards are refugees who are employment-ready, and are hired to assist with production and management, peer-to-peer teaching, and oversight of volunteers.Through participation in work at the Farm, 80% Refugees will report employment skills learned and/or improved during program participation.Participants work directly with the Farm Coordinator on learning specific tasks related to planting, weeding, irrigation, harvesting, preparing CSA boxes, farm maintenance, and chicken care. The Coordinator will empower more experienced peers and Farm Stewards to demonstrate skills and techniques to promote leadership and camaraderie. The Farm Coordinator will provide short, topic-specific employment training, including workplace social skills training such as positive attitude, teamwork, conflict resolution, body language, communication, professionalism, manners, problem solving, time management, hygiene, understanding employer expectations for punctuality and performance, and US gender norms in the workplace. Farm participation also provides experiential language opportunities for clients who are learning English, a critical component of language acquisition.Concurrently, participants will work with I-RISE staff to create a resume and prepare for an interview for permanent employment. Farm work will be featured as US employment experience on resumes along with previous experiences from home countries.Improve Mental Health & Increase Community Ties of Refugee Clients80% participants report increased confidence and empowerment. Through support and services, I-RISE empowers clients as they navigate a difficult adjustment to US life and culture. In addition to the confidence gained through practicing Farm skills, participants experience being outdoors and having a peaceful working environment after their time of displacement and chaos. Women peer Community Health Promoters provide knowledge and reassurance in a culturally relevant and accessible way. The Farm Coordinator emphasizes a positive working environment and models healthy working relationships. Participants work in peer groups to demonstrate agricultural knowledge from their home countries, practice English, and to make social connections.80% of participants report increased social bonds and feelings of community connection. Through program participation, refugees will naturally build relationships which can be encouraged outside of the Farm through interactions at ESL class, at town and civic events, through language and affinity groups, and through participation in religious or faith communities. Participants will gain important opportunities to interact with the non-refugee public in positive ways through Community Workdays, at CSA pick up/delivery, and Pop Up Farm Stand assistance.36 Community Workdays are held yearly engaging 15 refugee participants (through participation in Employment Readiness Program, Farm Steward program, and Garden Plots) and 85 community members yearly.GG Farms holds 4 community events each year hosted by refugees - information sessions, demonstrations, or celebrations yearly, including World Refugee Day picnic in the summer in collaboration with Interfaith-RISE, a GG Farms Fall Open House, a spring garden planning workshop, and a Farm & Café Community Meal in the winter.EVALUATIONProgram goals and objectives will be evaluated through a qualitative data survey which will be administered as an interview to refugees as baseline and endline evaluations for each participant. The surveys are based on several validated tools developed by International Rescue Community that have been in use for several years at 12 farm locations.