Halfway down a quiet street in the heart of Mt. Healthy, you will find an unexpected plot of land known as Tikkun Farm, a home to farm animals and enterprising humans alike. This unique, non-profit farm is an oasis of growth and restoration. Alongside a salt-and-pepper set of alpacas, an orchard of saplings and a greenhouse full of vegetable seedlings, hope grows here. The harvest is all about restoration.
Tikkun Farm is an urban farm using sustainable practices to care for their land, animals and neighbors. It is equipped with the barns and trappings of traditional farms but outfitted for modern agriculture methods including hydroponics, aquaponics and vermicomposting. Tikkun’s animals are a supporting cast of characters with distinct personalities: potbellied pigs, a diverse flock of fowl, alpacas and other rescue animals live together in the barnyard. They teach lessons about community and trust and invite laughter and awe from visitors of all ages.
The mission of the farm is to restore people, community and creation. Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mary Laymon was divinely inspired to name the nonprofit homestead after “Tikkun olam,” the Jewish concept of mending the world. She leads the Tikkun community to bring healing to the world by providing food, educational programming, job training and healing arts for their neighbors.
“We are a small, three-and-a-half-acre farm but we pack a lot in,” Mary says. “We want to feed people. We want to expand our environmental contribution. We want to bring nature to a school district that is very poor and very urban.”
Tikkun Farm is a free food source for 300 families who shop at the onsite Well House each week. The shelves are stocked by more than 20 food-supplying partners. The Farm also offers cooking classes to children and adults and distributes 300 crock pot meals per week. Baggies of cut veggies and measured seasonings are lovingly prepared by volunteers.
Education is a big part of life at Tikkun. In partnership with Mt. Healthy City Schools, Tikkun engages students of all ages in caring for the animals, land and each other as they learn to embrace the outdoors. The calendar includes after-school programs, in-school programs, camps, workshops and retreats, all to help teach students about nature, farm life and working together.
The learning opportunities at Tikkun extend to include hands-on job training for young adults who are considering work in one of the trades. A 10-week rotational program introduces post-high school students to a variety of experiences.
“Plumbing, carpentry, electrical and welding—building trades are a great way for people to make a good living,” says Mary. “We also offer urban farming and environmental work experiences,” she adds. “Our goal is to provide this educational experience for 18-to-21-year-olds who aren't going to college.”
The healing arts offered at Tikkun Farm go hand-in-hand with the spirituality that is central to the Tikkun Farm experience. Fiber Arts projects, Soul Collages, writing, pottery, painting and drum circles are regularly offered on the farm. Spiritual retreats and yoga are also on the busy community calendar.
As you enter the property, you can’t miss the charred shell of The Farm House, the living space and headquarters for the Tikkun community that was lost to a devastating fire last December. Everyone made it out safely, but the house was a total loss. Mary, her husband and the staff are not strangers to rebuilding.
As they recover from the fire, the Tikkun community looks ahead with positivity and hope, eager to make changes that better serve the community in which they live. The Tikkun Farm team is dedicated to strengthening programs that break cycles of poverty, address racial divides and repair and heal the community.
“We are working on using the funding from the fire to build a building on the farm that will house a teaching kitchen for culinary classes and a basement for a Trades workshop,” Mary explains.
Join Tikkun Farm in their mission of restoration: chop carrots and onions for crock pot meals, tackle a mountain of mulch, work the land, feed the animals, install plumbing for hydroponics and help rebuild. The to-do-list is endless and includes jobs for volunteers of all ages and at all skill levels. Sign up to help on their online volunteer calendar. Contributions continue to be accepted at Go Fund Me to aid in the recovery from the Tikkun Farm fire: GoFund.Me/c5bdbeaf. TikkunFarm.com, 513.570.6860, care@tikkunfarm.com
