In the beginning, there was neither earth nor water, plants nor produce, but only a dream, an insistent dream, one that recurred to Lori Birckhead again and again during the years of 2007 to 2010. The dream featured vivid images of a pond and a pasture, a garden and a stream, and even came with its own voiceover, a narration which Lori took to be of divine origin. Paraphrased, the wording went something like this: “Buy land. Grow food. Give it away.”
Lori, a middle-aged mom who lived in a comfortable suburban home in Hendersonville, woke up Jim, her husband the dentist.
“Honey, God wants us to buy a farm, grow food, and give it away.”
“Go back to sleep, dear.”
Jim’s advice seemed reasonable, and, for a time, Lori remained reasonable. After all, she knew nothing about farming; she managed the office and the accounts at Jim’s dental office and tried her best not to kill the couple’s few houseplants in which she took only the most minimal interest.
Still, the dream kept coming, as vivid and insistent as ever: “Buy land. Grow food. Give it away.”
Lori, a woman of deep faith, was convinced the dream genuinely conveyed a divine truth, albeit a deeply inconvenient one. She tried to placate the commanding voice by spinning the dream’s injunction with her own exegesis, one that wouldn’t disrupt her comfortable pattern of life too much: She began volunteering at soup kitchens.
But no go. The dream wasn’t fooled. Its unambiguous instructions kept coming: “Buy land. Grow food. Give it away.”
Lori came to terms that her protestations of lack of qualifications to farm were of no avail. She and Jim took the leap of faith in 2011, buying 97 acres in Joelton in the northern part of Davidson County, and went to work, racking up rookie mistakes that would fill a book. Still, she did not give up. Just the opposite. Lori dug in -- figuratively and literally -- and persisted. She tapped into the expertise of Jeff Poppen, the legendary “Barefoot Farmer” and adopted organic, biodynamic farming practices. Soon, the newly minted grandmother and rookie farmer would be walking the rows of By Faith Farm’s donation garden slinging compost tea like a champ. Good things began to grow, so much so that the problem became not the production of fresh produce, but its distribution. “I was working on the farm and then driving all over town to deliver to shelters,” Lori recalls. “Sometimes there would be no one there to receive the fresh food, or sometimes their pantries would already be full. It was a problem. Our mission was and remains to supply the highest quality, chemical-free, freshly picked produce -- real nutrition for those in need.”
It was a problem solved in 2015 when By Faith Farm partnered with Second Harvest and, soon thereafter, their Farm to Families volunteer program.
“Our harvests have increased tenfold,” Lori exclaims, her initial excitement about the farm not having abated in the slightest. “It’s been nine years now, and I’m still ecstatic when seeds actually pop up.”
“This farm is every person that comes here,” she says. “Every kid. Every tenant farmer. Every volunteer. It’s not about me. And it’s not even just about growing food. It’s about grace. It’s about gratitude. It’s about talking about God.” Amen, we say, to that.
SECOND HARVEST FARM TO FAMILES PROGRAM
Nora McDonald, Farm to Families Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, holds the shovel steady as she paces the freshly tilled patch of ground, furrowing the fertile soil with the shovel’s steel tip. Close on Nora’s heels follows a trio of farmer volunteers: Lisa, a physician’s assistant; Nicole, a Metro Nashville schoolteacher; and Jill, founder and editor of Edible Nashville. Each bends low over the shallow furrows, carefully placing every six inches an organic kernel of corn into the organic dirt. It is labor intensive work, but no one complains. Just the opposite, actually. The atmosphere is one of good cheer and collective joy -- funny how growing nourishment for others can so richly nourish the spirits of those who do the growing. And the venue couldn’t be more inspiring either. Along with the other half dozen volunteers and Dillon Watson, the Garden Manager who oversees the operation, the group attends to the Farm to Families’ donation garden at River Run Farm, a 300-acre slice of heaven that fell to Earth in a bucolic valley along the Cumberland River northwest of Nashville. Along with By Faith Farm in Joelton, River Run Farm is one of the two primary donation gardens growing fresh produce to help 2nd Harvest feed hungry Middle Tennesseans.
“In 2019, Farm to Families provided 17,824 pounds of fresh produce for those in need,” Nora points out.
But clearly, growing over eight tons of fresh, organic produce requires a lot of work. “Last year, 237 volunteers joined us for a total of 897 volunteer hours,” Nora says. “Not only does Farm to Families increase our ability to provide good food to hungry neighbors, but it also provides unique opportunities for our volunteers to engage in our mission in a meaningful way while learning firsthand about our food and local food system.”
When asked about plans to generate even more produce in this year of pandemic, Nora has a ready answer. “We definitely want to do more gleaning,” she replies. “If there are any field crops out there that we can save from going to waste then we absolutely want to do so. Especially during these challenging times when produce demand from restaurants and other businesses might be reduced. We want farmers in Middle Tennessee to know that we are available to glean with the help of our amazing volunteers, so that no food goes to waste!”
If you’re interested volunteering, email farm@secondharvestmidtn.org to be added to the email distribution list.
BY FAITH FARM'S "FARM-CATION" STAY
Volunteering, either through Second Harvest's Farm to Families program or reaching out directly to Lori herself, is one important way to become part of By Faith Farm's mission and enjoy its tranquil beauty. Another way to both enjoy and support By Faith Farm is to book a stay in its modern, 1500 square foot apartment atop the red barn. With two master bedrooms and two full baths, the getaway is the perfect spot to unwind and relax, enjoying the farm's trails, pond, and waterfall while being less than 20 minutes from downtown Nashville. 100% of the rental fee goes toward By Faith's mission to feed the hungry. For more information about By Faith Farm and to see lots of lovely images of good things growing, check out their website at byfaithfarm.com.
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