Fort Wayne, IND--- The City of Fort Wayne, through its Redevelopment Commission, has agreed to allow Catherine Kasper Place (CKP) to use about four acres of land it owns off Radcliffe Drive in southeast Fort Wayne. The Global Garden project will allow six refugee families to grow fresh produce on the site. Overall, there are 27 participants in the Global Garden project which is managed by CKP Garden Coordinator Taing Taw who is himself a Burmese refugee of ethnic Mon origin. The participants are utilizing their farming skills to produce both ethnic and American crop varieties to provide for their families and to sell at farmers markets throughout Fort Wayne. Refugees from Burma, Africa, and Haiti are participating and sharing their tradition and cultures. Rainwater will be collected at the site, through a cistern system. After the initial cultivation of the land by a local volunteer farmer, the farming will all be done by hand.
The partnership between the City and Catherine Kasper Place strengthens CKP’s presence beyond its Calhoun Street location, reaching into the community they serve. The land use agreement is one tangible example of collaborative efforts to support refugee assimilation by giving them a place to exercise self- sufficiency.
Catherine Kasper Place executive director Holly Chaille said the program is one with many benefits. “All these agency collaborations and with the participation of dozens of community volunteers, we are helping to lift these participants out of poverty, while also reaping a fresh, healthy benefit for our own families. This is truly a mutually beneficial endeavor, one that positively affects economic, social and environmental issues for our community.”
The land was donated to the City’s Redevelopment Commission in the mid-90’s, and planners say the site has not found a permanent project suitable for the location. The City and CKP have signed a one-year land use agreement which may be renewed when it expires. The Global Garden project is funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and supported by the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation (SJCHF) and the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.