Spring Hill Community Farm teams up with Department of Indian Work

For nearly 30 years, community has truly been at the center of Patty Wright and Mike Racette’s Spring Hill Community Farm in Wisconsin. “The emphasis we chose early on in conversations with our members was community,” says Wright. “For example, every year farm members come to help with harvest and delivery. The help was great, but it was really about getting to see our community at least once a year.”

This past summer, after operating a full-time community supported agriculture farm that produced weekly shares, Wright and Racette decided to slow down some and shift to monthly pop-up markets and to growing food for neighbors who are food insecure. Randi Roth, executive director of Interfaith Action, has been a long-time member of Spring Hill so when she saw the notice asking for food shelf recommendations, she jumped at the opportunity to pair the farm with the Department of Indian Work (DIW) food shelf.

Wright and Racette sat down with DIW leaders and settled on a plan to grow food for 30 families each week. Spring Hill members volunteered to help deliver the green beans, cabbage, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the food shelf and a beautiful partnership was born!

“We wanted to make available produce that is high quality,” says Racette. “We know this may be a small thing, but we know how to grow good food and it is our way of treating people and the land with dignity.”

Interfaith Action is deeply grateful to Spring Hill Community Farm for being such a wonderful neighbor. Learn more about the farm.