Grain Project: Bringing The FARMily Together.

This Saturday morning was unlike most Saturday mornings I have known (not because I was up at 8:00 am) but because my group and I got to enter into the Jerome Park Garden and actually witness the great things that happen there. All the magic that mystified us into the direction we're taking with our project came quickly flooding back. When we arrived Dr. Nick Spain and fellow Grain Project-eer Shody (hopefully I'm spelling that correctly) warmly welcomed us and were ever eager and helpful to us.

We got there bright and early so we could conceptualize camera angles and possible narratives without having to worry about budgeting our time. We spent a good 4 or 5 hours within the garden gates, and I think we left with great footage and ideas for future footage. During those hours the two Grain Projectors welcomed neighborhood children, some who came with their parents and some who came with their siblings (all of whom have already been there previously). Lauren, Nikki, and I listened, watched, and interacted with the children as well as Nick and Shody and truly got a good feel of what the goal and message of Jerome Park Community Garden is.

Children don't just come to this garden because they have nothing else to do, they were upset that the garden hadn't been open the week before. The kids remembered which plants were doing well and were ready to start planting the next batch. All of these children came to get involved, dirty, and to learn. When a child was seen asking a question, the answer wasn't just given to them, Dr. Spain, having a teaching background, would try and get the children to figure out the answer on their own whether it be spelling "radish", reasons for having a rock in the bird bath, or what earthworms and other bugs do in a garden. This garden is serving many purposes and teaching the kids to think about nature in a practical way is a huge one.

The children seem to enjoy tasks that were surprising to even the Grain Project volunteers. While we were there we saw children weeding, shoveling compost, watering empty plant beds and other laborious tasks. These kids weren't forced to be there and were definitely not forced to do any of these jobs, they simply wanted to help and be involved. The parents we saw were also very happy to have such a positive outlet for their kids and mentioned how much better they view this kind of activity as opposed to video games and television.

The Grain Project has great optimism and I can see them accomplishing great things. They surrounded themselves in a highly urbanized area with low income housing, schools, churches, and a community center. They want to remind people that farming isn't going "back to the past" but rather "going back to the future" and how this type of living is beneficial to all and not just a past reflection of how we, as "urban-ites" lived. I, as well as my group, are very supportive of this project, not just because of film interest, but because we truly believe in what they are all about. As a way of giving back to our informants we will be contributing to a fund they are raising money for. They have monetary increments that allow you to sponsor a child or a family for a year's worth of gardening. We would like to see the Grain Project grow and flourish and are willing to get down and dirty to help and see the community benefit from them and blossom.