By Elizabeth Langgle-Martin, Director of Community Engagement
Nestled on just three acres of Metro’s Mill Ridge regional park, the Community Farm at Mill Ridge is wrapping up its fourth growing season in this sacred place. A space for connection: connection with culture, community, land, and food cultivation, the Community Farm at Mill Ridge was a connecting point for almost 80 families of growers this year. Whether engaged in communal production as part of our Full Circle communal growing programming, or by stewarding and harvesting from an individual plot, this community continues to be a space of shared learning and liberation.
The Community Advisory Council of the Community Farm and the staff of The Nashville Food Project co-hosted a community event inviting both farm participants and the wider community to connect over food in this shared space. This gathering took place as a part of Welcoming America’s Nationwide Welcoming Week. Through Welcoming Week, organizations and communities nationwide bring together neighbors of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity.
Upon entering the farm on the day of the event, hands of all ages could be found wielding a paintbrush under the guidance of local artist Ruben Torres, who imagined a landscape where participants could be invited to paint different panels in vibrant colors before the panels were assembled to create a vivid image along the farm’s fenceline.
L-shaped tables under the toolshed sat heavy with covered dishes from the kitchens of gardeners and other event attendees. Saraí Tovar noted that she loved how the food was a perfect representation of the vibrancy of the Antioch community.
Kids ran wild with freshly painted faces, a temporary tattoo or even muddy hands from a wildflower seed ball station where Community Farm Manager, Nora, led folks in a simple method of seed saving.
Just out of sight, friends from Oasis Center led the transformation of one of the farm’s functional water catchment systems, turning it into yet another canvas for community art and inspiration, capturing portions of TNFP’s values in looping script next to bright depictions of pea pods and flower blooms.
Gardeners could be found pointing out their plots to visitors, a few friends leaving with arms filled with a hastily gifted harvest. As the afternoon wrapped up, amongst the forgotten plates and crumbled napkins, exchanged phone numbers were found scribbled on compostable table cloths, reminiscent of invitations to stay in touch.
As we continue to learn collectively about different expressions of community and belonging, we are constantly inspired and challenged by the many faces and hearts that create a place of welcome along the backdrop of a thriving community farm that often feels like home.
Photos shared with permission and courtesy of Aidan Fitzpatrick Photography. Find Aidan on Instagram here.