Farmer Melvin Parson’s dream to nourish the soil of the community is taking root!
by Marcy Harris
It is amazing sometimes how the vision of one person can bring a community together. A huge part of the mission statement for Zingerman’s is to “Show love and care in all our actions, and to enrich as many lives as we possibly can.” It’s no wonder that Farmer Melvin Parson has become an important member of our family, as he has set out to change the soil in the lives of everyone he comes in contact with by nurturing the community with his farm, We the People Grower’s Association.
Farmer Melvin has been delivering fresh organic produce to the Roadhouse for over a year now, along with several other local businesses including Frito Baditos, Miss Kim, the Lunch Room, and more. With the help of volunteers cultivating his modest half acre farm, We the People Growerâs Association behind Grace Fellowship Church in Ypsilanti, Melvin has been able to consistently provide good food to restaurants and to the community. But his dream is much bigger than a half acre.
Finding space for a large vision.
Melvin has a vision to turn his small farm into a world class urban farm that will not only provide food to local residents, but will also provide employment opportunities and education to citizens returning from incarceration. He has successfully added a Michigan-approved non-profit arm to the Grower’s Association, called We the People Opportunity Center, that is the catalyst for his vision. It is this center that will allow Melvin to use farming as a vehicle to provide these opportunities. It cannot happen on the half acre he is leasing from the church, though, so Melvin has discovered a chance to move into a larger propertyâthe former Kettering Elementary School in Ypsilanti. Back in July, I visited Melvin to view the 10 acre space behind the school. I was super excited to see it, but was not prepared for the beauty and scope of what I walked into that morning.
The school is just around the corner from the church, and at the time I visited, the building was still intact, yet condemned. Melvin ushered me through a rusty fence, and as we walked into the schoolyard, it was like entering a secret garden. I got goosebumps as Melvin started to explain his vision to me of what he wants to do with the space.
There really is a giving tree. It’s in Ypsilanti.
It starts with a tree. No joke. He points it out to me, a 300 year-old burr oak towards the back of the property. I didn’t grasp the full immensity of this tree until we got closer to it. Melvin is tall, but this tree is huge. It is powerful. Melvin tells me about how when he first saw the tree, he just knew in his soul that this was where he was meant to be.
âThis tree has been around long enough to see Native Americans here. Think of the stories it could tell, and the stories we can create with it.â
He talks me through a vision of hanging lanterns, and benches wrapped around the tree. He sees maybe about ten returning citizens working the soil around it, all with living wages and benefits. He sees residents from the community gathered here, all engaged in different activities. A market stand here, beehives there⌠as we walk around the school yard, Melvin starts pointing and I can see it all materialize in front of me.
The front of the property can be a community garden, designed as a space for neighborhood residents to grow their own food, while WTPGA provides easy access to water, tools, and shares the knowledge and skills needed to produce an abundance of delicious and healthy food. The playground equipment that is overgrown with weeds can be used as trellises for fruitful vines. Thereâs a pole barn with farm equipment and hoop houses. The black top can be turned into a outdoor event space, where everyone is welcome to gather.
The education doesn’t end with Kettering Elementary.
The biggest part of all of this, though, is the school building. It will be razed to the ground, leaving space for another building. This is where Melvinâs vision really starts to take shape. By establishing the Opportunity Center in its place, Melvin hopes to provide a world class culinary training facility for returning citizens and young adults in the community. It is here that Melvin sees a change really taking place. Where I see broken windows and discarded school books, Melvin sees hope and development.
âThey locked the doors and walked away,â he tells me. âItâs all been completely deserted. No one loves this place as much as I do.â
Itâs true. With all the work heâs put into this, Melvinâs love will nurture the abandoned property into something extraordinary. âIf we can focus on bettering the soil of a community, people with flourish. People need a place to take root, and be nourished so that they can turn around and give back. Continue the cycle.â
He is so close to planting seeds of hope in Ypsilanti. One of Melvinâs favorite sayings is âWhen you have a vision, the universe comes back with the provisionâ. In this case, St. Joseph of Mercy has generously offered to match up to $50,000 raised by We the People Opportunity Center towards obtaining the property at Kettering and building the center. With the help of many volunteers and the support of New Solutions for Nonprofits, Zingermanâs Roadhouse, Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley, and more, Melvin has a chance to start raising the funds he needs to make his dream happen.
It will start with a Harvest Festival of Thanks on October 27th at Grace Fellowship Church, where food and entertainment will be provided to the community as a way to celebrate the people who have generously volunteered and offered their time to We the People. It is here that Melvin will unveil his plans for the Opportunity Center at Kettering. All are welcome to attend this free event, which will officially launch the We the People Opportunity Center campaign.
Canât join us at the festival? Thatâs okay, because there will be more ways to contribute in the future. Look for a donation page coming soon, and more information about the Roadhouseâs annual African American special dinner in January, which will offer a fundraiser for WTPOC.