LaRae Bennett never considered himself a farmer, but a new program teaching him how to grow vegetables is giving him the chance to plant the seeds for his future.
“I’m excited,” said Bennett, one of 11 participants in the Youth and Shelter Services‘ (YSS) Rooftop Garden program. On Wednesday, he was among dozens on Des Moines’ far east side celebrating the opening of a two-story building where the program is housed. He said he is “honored” to be part of the first cohort and to learn more job skills.
The program, located at 2705 E. Euclid Ave., officially launched six weeks ago and is an extension of YSS’ mission to help Des Moines’ at-risk and homeless young adults.
Where did the idea for the Rooftop Garden program come from?
A first of its kind, the YSS Rooftop Garden program is part of the organization’s mission to help young adults in need of support.
To get it up and running? That took time — years even, said YSS President Andrew Allen and Samanthya Marlatt, director of youth empowerment and advocacy.
Zoning issues, funding and the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the construction of what is now a brand-new two-story building with a grass-green façade, a greenhouse and six hydroponic farms. The farms have been retrofitted inside freight containers, some of which extend from the building’s backside.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, Allen and Marlatt credited former colleague Toby O’Berry, who was in the crowd, for pitching the early stages of what would become the Rooftop Garden seven years ago.
O’Berry, who previously led the organization’s transition services and is now executive director of the Polk County Housing Trust Fund, sought ways to provide young adults with work experience and mentorship, Marlatt said. He, like many other staff, saw YSS participants struggling to land — and keep — jobs because they couldn’t find rides to work or didn’t have a place to sleep, she explained.
Programs like these are a stepping stone for those seeking stability, Allen and Marlatt said.
“‘The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.’ What a fitting quote for the space we are in, both physically and in time,” Marlatt told guests at the event. “We all know this has been quite the project, and the seeds planted several years ago are taking root and a lot of this program can flourish.”
Who is eligible for the Rooftop Garden program?
The YSS Rooftop Garden program is open to adults ages 18 to 24 and runs for six months. Applicants do not have to be part of YSS services to be considered for the program, Marlatt said. Program participants earn $15 an hour and have 30-hour work weeks.
The first cohort is growing romaine lettuce, which may later be sold at HyVee grocery stores, YSS spokesperson Jeremy Gustafson said. The supermarket company and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines are among the partnering groups that funded the more than $4 million garden program.
For more information, visit www.yss.org/rooftopgardens.
F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on Twitter@writefelissa.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: YSS launches Rooftop Garden employment program in Des Moines