Crime & Safety

Prison Garden Program Donates Fresh Produce to Local Food Pantries

Fresh vegetables grown under a program sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Corrections were donated to the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen and the Enfield Food Shelf.

The Connecticut Department of Corrections was pleased to recently make a donation of several hundred pounds of fresh vegetables to the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen and the Enfield Food Shelf in Enfield.

The vegetables were grown as part of a program that allows inmates to participate in gardening activities at various prisons in northern Connecticut.

“The first goal is basically to feed the inmates, as a cost cutting measure, but as a side benefit it keeps the inmates occuppied and teaches basic skills,” said Andrius Banevicius, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections.

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Under the direction of Leo Arnone, the prison garden program has expanded significantly in the last few years. The produce donated to the local food pantries came from the , but several prisons also have gardens and participate in the program, including the Enfield Correctional Institution and Carl Robinson Correctional Facility.

The gardens produce several high yield vegetables including tomatoes, yellow squash, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, butternut squash and others. Willard-Cybulski has about three acres of land devoted to the program, and several other tracts of land where vegetables are grown.

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In addition to the nearly 400 pounds of produce delivered to the pantries in this trip, several hundred pounds of produce have been harvested this summer. In the week of July 18, approximately 150 pounds were picked from Cybulski's field, and on July 25, over 200 pounds were picked.

In July, approxmiately 120 pounds were picked from the Willard gardens.

So far this year, the Corrigan Radgowski Correctional Gardens have harvested 280 pounds of squash, 50 pounds of lettuce, 240 pounds of cucumbers, and 30 pounds of green beans.

In 2010, The Enfield Correctional Institution gardens produced 3,314 tomatoes, 2,177 zucchini, and 898 cucumbers.

Tom Samperi, a state school teacher and teacher at Willard-Cybulski, helps run the program at the facility. Described as a real gardening enthusiast, he has been a key figure in designing and maintaining the functionality of the prison gardens. If he had his way, he would like to see every patch of grass in the prisons converted to gardens of one variety or other.

The prisons receive donations from the Hart Seed company as well as other sources. All seeds used in the gardens come from donations.

“Hart seed also offered to send people down to work with the inmates,” said Correctional District Food Service Manager David Roston.

The program is attractive for the Department because the entire operation costs basically nothing, according to Banevicius.

It relies on donations of seeds, and through the volunteer efforts of Roston and Samperi to keep the program running. They are always seeking donations of tomato stakes, seeds, or compost.

Roston and Samperi have crews of inmates that they work with, and Officer Jeff Stannard also works with prisoners with outside clearance. Inmates must meet certain classifications to be allowed to work with the program. Only non-violent offenders are eligible.

“There are safety concerns, but we would obviously not compromise safety for the garden,” said Banevicius. Corn for example is not grown because of the height it can achieve and the possibility of hiding among the stalks.

It is a privilege for the inmates to assist with the program, and it definitely improves the morale of the participating prisoners. Prisoners must be chosen to work on an outside detail, and being able to be outdoors for work is highly prized. Many of the inmates in the program are near to their release dates, so there is a great deal of turnover in the crews.

At one point, there were only four members of the crew, and they went back and forth between a couple of facilities to maintain the gardens.

Roston said that the inmates put in the hard work and see the returns from this work. Participants can see the fruits of their hard work, and develop an understanding of the growing process and horticulture practices. The inmates look forward to donating the food if possible and be good neighbors. It is something positive for the inmates and they take pride in the gardens.

“There is pride of ownership,” Banevicius said.

Enfield Food Shelf Executive Director Linda Bridge said, “It's really special to have fresh produce and that a lot of the people who come to the center can't afford to buy fresh produce in the stores because they have to buy the essentials.”

Food Shelf employees prepare recipe cards and provide them to people who don't know what to do with the food. For example, some may not be familiar with an eggplant or how to cook it so they help with sharing that knowlege.

The fresh vegetables are also a hit in the prison cafeteria.

“I've had inmates come up to me and tell me how much they appreciate fresh tomatoes,” said Roston.


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