Foreign Hello.

It's Tinisha, Spain, host of Mid American gardener.

And as you can see, we are out of the studio and touring a very special garden this week.

We're at first followers topsoil in Champaign.

And what makes this garden so special is it's part of a re entry program for those who have been incarcerated.

So if you look around here, not only is the produce picture perfect, but this place helps feed the community free of charge, and it teaches valuable skills to those who are at risk.

And those are not the only seeds that first followers is planting.

You and now I'm joined by the executive director of first followers.

This is Mr. Marlon Mitchell, so first of all, tell us a little bit about you and how you came to start all of this.

Alright, well, first I'll talk about first followers.

So first followers, we create that I founded in 2015 so we've been going for about a decade now.

Got various programs, but essentially it's a re entry program that services those individuals have been impacted by criminal justice system, many of them returning from incarceration, then we do have folks that just comes around with that might have some felony background or some criminal activity on their records.

Gotcha.

And so what was the idea here, when you, when you founded first followers, what were you trying to do?

Just provide opportunity by services?

I'm formerly incarcerated.

I got incarcerated at a young age, and I know when I came back to my community, there were no resources for me to get back on my feet.

So just trying to stand in that gap.

So over time, you know, I just wanted to give back to my community, because I know many of us have been impacted by the criminal justice system, and so just providing that opportunity so everyone can have a fair shot as just becoming the person that they're supposed to be.

So from its beginning, 2015, to now.

What sort of programs, what sort of things have you started within the community?

So we do a lot of outreach and advocacy.

We also have what we call a drop in service, a drop in center, where we provide services for individuals that's returning from incarceration, where they can just come in, do an assessment, we kind of see where they're at.

We try to provide those needs and those resources.

Oftentimes we have to make referrals, but many times, folks, most of the people that come in, the majority of them, are either looking for housing or some source of employment.

So we've been able to build networks and employers and also property owners so that we can refer folks over to them, so that they can either get employed or find housing.

Now thinking back to when you were a youth and you said you had gotten into some trouble, what would services like this, had they been available?

How do you think that would have changed you or worked in your favor?

Or what would it have mattered to you?

It would have mattered there was very little, very, very, very little.

You know, most times when you come out incarceration, you you have to go through parole, you know, couple years of parole, and there's very limited resources.

You know, they might give you a sheet of paper and say, Here, go find your job.

And that's that's essentially about as basic as it was.

And through all of that, you know, just going through that experience, because I was on parole for three years, I came home, I eventually got enrolled in Parkland College.

I got a degree out of Parkland College, and I just kind of went from there, and having that opportunity and having that experience, did that kind of inspire you to want to make sure that other young men, young women who have been in your shoes would have that same opportunity Exactly, exactly because, you know, coming from the community that I come from, I'm one of seven kids a single mother, there's very limited resources.

And you know, sometimes as mischievous young, you young adults, we kind of get ourselves in some trouble.

And I just noticed that a lot of my friends were also going in and out of jail.

It was during this whole era of what we call mass incarceration.

And so that was one of the things that, you know, we saw here locally that was really impacting a lot of families around in Champaign County.

So just going through my experiences being able to get back on my feet, I just wanted to give back because I knew that was right thing to do, and I just didn't want any other families to go through what I was going through.

What's some big wins that you've seen here at first?

Followers big wins.

So one of the things I see I'm jaded, so I like a lot of education, right?

So some of the big wins is that we've had individuals that have come in, might not have a high school diploma, get their high school diploma, get gainfully employed, and move on.

I've also had folks that have come in and kind of mentor, because we use a mentoring based model.

And what that what that essentially means?

It means that folks that have been incarcerated or impacted by the criminal justice system, we hired them as staff, and they're able to use a mentoring based model to kind of help those guide those folks through those challenges up until the point they're stable.

So I've had some folks that have gotten their master's degree.

Me myself.

I got a PhD while running first followers.

So I'm jaded with education and another thing, flagship program of ours, we got a transition house.

It's all Mills house that we've been running.

Is 2019 we partner with the housing authority of Champaign County.

With the house, they provide the space.

We provide the management of the house and operations of the house.

And we, just recently, in April, launched our first women's transition house.

So those are some of the big things that we're doing.

And like I said, we do a lot of advocacy work, a lot of educational work.

As you can see this is kind of part of first followers, which we actually started the garden program back in 2017 and so it was just a real small, small garden, an idea, and we kind of grew from there.

And we were really inspired by Grace Wilkins, who's a council member over in Urbana.

She came out, and she kind of helped us get it all get it all set up, we have some youth and young adults that were participating in our what we call our go mad program, which essentially is a workforce development training program.

And so she came in, she kind of educated them around gardening, and then we just got the practical side of things.

And so we've been running this since 2017 so for people who may be skeptical, do programs like this work?

Do they change people's lives?

They can.

They can.

One of the things I tell folks that really want to get involved, you know, one of the things I'd say is, hey, look, I can't work any harder than you.

That's unfair for you, and it's unfair for me.

So if you really, really want to make a change, we just try to provide the resources and also the opportunities to do something, right?

We also meet people where they are, and we kind of just kind of brainstorm, what are you looking for, what are you good at?

What are some experiences that you've had that you might build on in a positive way?

And so we kind of guide them into those, those arenas of that they're looking to get into.

Okay, now with regard specifically to the garden, what have you seen with some of the youth or some of the volunteers that come out here?

Because, you know, gardening is not for everybody, so have you seen people seen people who've come out here with, you know, not wanting to get involved in beginning and then by the end of it, they're into it?

Or, like, have you just seen people kind of change as they've worked in the garden?

So there's a range, you know, like you said, not, it's not for everybody, but it's one of those things that I like to see.

It's kind of therapeutic, right?

Because you can't come out, be one with nature, and then you're also learning different things.

Pierre, who actually runs the garden, he came through our transition house, and so when he came through our transition house, he was living there.

And then, you know, when the weather had broke, we had, you know, he had told me that he had some experience with horticulture when he was incarcerated, so we introduced him to the garden.

And this was always something that we wanted to do was kind of, wanted to do was kind of build out, right?

Because this wasn't for everybody, because, you know, you have folks come in.

They come there go, but Pierre has really grabbed it by the reins, and he's really grown it, and he's really, really recruited a lot of other folks to come in, because he has a knack for it.

He's very enthusiastic about what he does.

He loves what he does.

And sometimes I have to kind of rein him in, because he has these big, big ideas.

But it's all great because eventually we're going to get there.

For example, a couple weeks ago, we met with sola Gracia, and they're going to donate us a 30 by 30 plot where we can come out and just expand.

You know what we do here at Louisiana, but we're just looking to just keep growing this thing.

Wonderful.

And what is it about gardening that you think you could learn.

What can you learn from gardening?

Well, anybody learn from gardening?

Well, healthy living, right?

Healthy Living is one.

Also, cost savings is another.

No inflation.

Things are skyrocketing and out of control, but it also just gives you a sense of purpose when you talk about taking something from start to seeing it finish, right from the garden to the table.

And so it's a whole process not only, not only applies to gardening, but it also can apply to your life.

You use those exact same principles of planning, nurturing, weeding things out, and then also just seeing things come to fruition.

Wonderful, wonderful.

And I have one more question about the garden.

Oh, feeding folks the produce that you guys raise here, I'm sure it's used within the community and donated or eaten.

Or how does that work?

So the way it works is we're still building that out.

But what Pierre has done, he's been reaching out to the local churches and then also communities in need.

One of the suggestions that I've had, and we're still building this out, is to go into some of the senior living spaces, right?

And they just provide fresh produce once, twice a week.

And then we even might get into the part of going out to the Urbana Farmers Market at some point, you know, and just, you know, it's putting produce out there, maybe even selling it so that we could recoup some, some of those sales to kind of keep things rolling.

Because a lot, oftentimes we're just working out of grant funds.

And we all know that kind of ebbs and flows.

Now, if someone's watching this, and they are inspired, and they say, Wow, I want to help.

What kind of help can the community offer?

First followers?

Well, we got a website, first followersreentry.com you can go in there and read a lot of about what we do.

We got a lot of different programs, but here, with the gardening program, they can just reach out through email, and we'll connect with Pierre.

And like I said, he's always out in the community, trying to recruit, trying to educate, and also just giving back to what you know, what, what he has been know, his passion is just giving it back to the community.

Okay, is there anything that I did not ask you, that you would like to mention or think is important or want people to know?

I mean, this is community based project, right?

You know?

Whole concept of the re entry program, it lays on our our model says build community through re entry.

So that's why we do a lot of outreach.

That's why we do a lot of advocacy.

Because, you know, being formed incarcerated or being impacted by the criminal justice system there, there's a stigma attached to that, right?

There's a social stigma attached to that.

And so we try to, what we try to do is bring a different narrative to our resources or our services, and the things that we do just put a positive light on, you know, the mistakes that we made in the past that you know, just giving back to what you know where we want to go.

All right.

Thank you very much.

And now we're gonna go find Pierre and find out where he's at in the garden.

All right.

Thank you.

All right, so now we are with Pierre in the garden.

I'm so glad we finally get to catch up and have this conversation.

So before we get into your story, tell us a little bit about this garden, how you got involved, and just you're here every day.

This is your passion.

Yes, tell me about this garden.

Well, I started this garden back in 23 after my incarceration for 29 years, and I was doing a little garden while I was incarcerated a couple of times.

And my grandma, she lived in Michigan, and I picked it up from her.

Now I started my own garden, and with a program through first follower, where I came home to and they gave me the opportunity to help the communion, doing the garden.

And so I just came out here, just fell in love with it and helping the community.

To me, it's all about helping community and healing the community through garden.

Now talk a little bit about, you know, this is this is your passion.

This is your purpose.

You said you feel spirit led when you're out here.

How important was this program to your success following incarceration?

Well, I needed to heal from my past, and I had to find my niche.

What bring me comfort and because when I came home, I had a lot of anxiety, and I needed something to calm me down, to have fine patience.

And I come out here and by myself, sometimes a lot, even at night, whatever, and it brings me peace of mind.

And that's how I fell in love doing it.

I fell in love because I know the purpose is for the community, and it takes a community to build a community, and we are the community.

So I want to feed people at no cost and show them that it's good to be able to plant your own vegetables and herbs.

It's a financial saving, and if I can teach, we running a program through three different organizations, like dream and solo glaciers.

We finna start gardening out there too.

It should be this later this week, and I'm teaching men and women 18 to 24 to be able to learn how to garden.

And not only that, they'll get paid for doing it.

And so if I can teach them to be able to garden and bring stuff to the table to help they family and being able when that hard working mother come home and that person they can be able to cook for.

They mother and relieve the burden and talk about what they done, planning and group that's building a community, reach one, teach one.

And then we got some young men out here.

That's a part of the program, young men that's not on the street that me teaching them, and they, they getting paid for it, and a money saver, that's that's a win.

Win.

Now, aside from coming out and getting paid, what are these young men gaining from spending time with you out here in this in this garden, first of all, I tell them where I come from my story my life, and letting them know they don't have to be in the streets, and it's a better way, because a lot of time we react or as we act on feelings and stuff, and we don't know the cost, the end game of it, and so we get lost.

So now if I can teach them a different route by what I've been through for 29 years and showing them how to plant and help their family.

I did my job.

I want them to teach them about patience, perseverance, stability, financial saving, dealing with your anxiety, most of all, building your family.

You as a community, as a young person.

So it's so much more than the actual produce out here.

This is life you're teaching life lessons out in the garden.

Tell me a little bit more about how it's grown since you have become part of the program, because it wasn't always this big, right?

You've grown this out.

Yes, in 23 they had six boxes.

You can see the discoloring of the six boxes.

They had just a look a few things.

First followers.

Now, before I finish, I wanted to let you know the name of the garden.

First followers, top soy.

First followers.

First followers, top soy, okay, we had six boxes.

Now last year I built it out me and my assistant to 19 boxes.

Now this year we have 24 boxes, and I got a little bit of everything that each box goes together because it's only so much space here I can work with.

But the more I can plant, the more the community I can feed.

Now, your volunteers, when they come out here, what sorts of jobs do you have them doing?

I help I have them helping me weed.

I helping them.

I have them helping them.

Me pick and just make sure we keep up with the maintenance of it, just to see the beauty of it.

Yeah, and it's free to anyone that want to come out, and you can volunteer as well, whoever.

Now, at the end of the day, you know, because I work in a garden too, you're dirty, you're tired, you're sweaty, your back's hurting, but there's still this big sense of satisfaction at the end of the day.

Talk a little bit about that when you when you when you get ready to close up, and you pick the weeds, and you kind of just look at this space for the last time of the day, what goes through your mind, like ice cubes.

Say today was a good day, because I know the sense of purpose now.

Now is the time in the season that we need to learn how to grow our own food, because how the politicians things going on of that nature.

So if you can feed yourself at no expense, but getting out and do the work is a process, and me and being able to do that, and then when I'm done, I know that family gonna appreciate me bringing them some food, some vegetables and stuff.

So knowing that that's satisfying to me.

Now, when you hand over that bag of produce and you hand that to somebody's family, or you hand that to a senior citizen, what's that like for you?

It just brings a smile to my face when they see it of no cost, knowing it's going to save them some money.

It just brings joy.

It's like it's a feeling that I can't explain, but I can't explain it now, because it's so joyous, even talking about.

Now, for these men and women that you guys work with, this is like a critical component of for some kids, this is their first exposure.

They didn't have this growing up.

They didn't have, you know, they didn't go to grandma and grandpa's and pick in the garden.

So what's that like to come in as their teenagers, and maybe after they've already experienced incarceration or issues with the legal system.

Do you find it difficult to engage them at that point?

Is it harder to reach them because they've already been through some things?

No, you know why it would be easier because I tell my story, because I once was them.

I had some I had to start off somewhere, and I was just like them, but I know what it is to be incarcerated, and it's not only you incarcerated, you incarcerating your family, and then even the victims, or whoever it is.

And so if I can get a gun out of kid's hand and put a vessel in his hand, that's win, win.

So I get my enjoyment out of we got young men here now that want to come off the streets and want us to do something different, and just that right there.

Makes me happy to be able to teach them that and get that gun out of their hand and put some a vegetable in their hand.

That is positive.

Right?

These zucchini are definitely coming along nicely, yes, and I just planted them.

Yeah, I'm 313, they're happy.

That's how you can tell they're happy.

So you know you, you shared a little bit that you have your own backstory and struggle, that you come from, um.

Tell us a little bit about that and kind of how that led you to who and where you are today.

Well, I grew up in Chicago on a near what, New York, northwest side, and like they always say, people, places and things can determine your future if you ain't careful.

And I got caught up in a gang lifestyle, people, placing things, friends.

How that went is, it's easy to get caught up.

It might be, you might be walking down in the wrong street, somebody, somebody jump on you, just thinking you in the game, and then some of your friends that you might have went to school with, now, retaliation, oh, they might end the game, but you ain't.

But now it's like, Oh, we did this for you.

Come on, when I'm in trouble, you help me.

And so that's basically how I got it.

Caught up.

Get caught up being people, places and things.

Nothing in the neighborhood, going no type of jobs, really low paying jobs.

And so I started looking for love in the wrong places, through my friend that it was gang members and stuff like that.

So I got caught up in that lifestyle.

And went to jail for 29 years.

That's a lifetime.

Yes, so you were gardening actually while you were incarcerated, right?

Was it through a program?

Or?

No, it was just something.

They was just trying to do something, to see what they can do.

And we didn't eat the vegetables or none, but, well, we ate them, but it wasn't distributed to individuals that was incarcerated.

It was more like for the police and stuff like that and whoever worked in the guard.

But I just loved doing it, and I got a chance to eat something that did it, and that did it, and I ran from there.

And now look, gotta get I got a program going, and it's just awesome from where I was to where I am now.

And it's not just about the end product.

It's not just about that zucchini or that lettuce.

It's about the perseverance.

It's about all of those qualities that you were talking about earlier, just getting people out here and getting their hands dirty, and one of the main things as well is the health benefits from it.

You know what's going in your body?

All this, majority of this, 99% is organic, and the other 1% because I don't know what it was when I took over at the time, but you know what's going in your body.

It's not hating on Walmart, but this is organic, and it benefits all the way around.

Aboard my blood pressure, it used to be high, it's low now, and it's what's coming eating healthy, fresh vegetables.

And I love it.

And if I can get a kid to eat some fresh or adult they don't eat it.

That's a win.

Win.

Just the offering, yeah, it's a saving money from going to the doctors all the time because you eat fast food, restaurant stuff like that.

You know how to cook your own food, and know what you taking in your body.

There's a study out there that says black neighborhoods, black people, have the farthest to travel to find fresh produce from any other of their racial counterparts.

So what's it like for you to be bringing this in, letting people see some some folks maybe have never even seen a zucchini on the vine.

Or, you know, what's it feel like to be introducing these vegetables and things to people who sometimes may not have access.

It's beautiful, because if they can't get to me, I can get to them, taking it to them, going to senior citizens home, going to my church, to Church of living God, and giving it to them, well experienced with the well experienced out there daycare center like and just giving it to them, it brings it's no burden on me.

And when it's no burden on me, that's like, it's a passion.

That's my call to give it say I hate, well, I don't hate, when I'm gonna give, from a spiritual point of view, they say, Give, and it shall be given to you.

Shake down.

Shake it together.

Man shall give into your bosom.

And if I can give until other people bosom, young people, it's an overflow, and it's beautiful, incredible story and great work you're doing on here.

Pierre, thank you so much for letting us come out.

And what can, how can people help?

What if they want to get involved?

Where do they contact you?

They can contact me through first followers.

And they can go online and look up first followers and learn about what we do for the community, you know.

So they can go online and contact me there through first father.

And now, if anyone want.

Make donations.

They can do it through first followers, but specifically say through the first followers topsoil.

First followers topsoil, they can donate.

They don't have to, but we building it out to help the community.

We give away everything free or whatnot, so they can help in that capacity.

Well, thank you so much for letting us stop out today and telling us your story and just letting us learn a little bit more about the garden.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you all, and that is the show for this week.

Thank you so much for joining us, and we just learned that first followers will be adding two more community gardens this year, so we're very excited to see what grows there.

If you'd like to learn more about first followers and a little bit more about their organization or what they do, you can visit them online at first followers reentry.com if you've got questions for us, you can send them in to yourgarden@gmail.com or search for us on socials, just look for Mid American gardener.

Thanks again for watching, and we will See you next time.

Good night.

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