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Corrections donates record breaking amount of produce

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Corrections Restorative Justice Garden Program set a record this year by donating nearly 180 tons of fresh produce to local food pantries, shelters, churches, nursing homes and school districts throughout the state.

“Once again, through the dedicated efforts of our staff and volunteer offenders, our Restorative Justice Gardens have had another productive year helping to stock food pantries and ensuring that Missourians have access to fresh produce,” said George A. Lombardi, director of the Missouri Department of Corrections. “Our garden program is one of the many Restorative Justice Programs within the department where offenders learn about compassion and altruistic behavior, which is something that many of them lack. These programs also provide offenders a means for them to repay their debt to their communities by giving something back.”

This marks the third consecutive year that the department’s Restorative Justice Garden Program has set a record for donations. Last year, nearly 163 tons were donated by the institution’s gardens.

For many of the local food pantries, shelters and other organizations that receive the produce, the offender-grown produce is the only fresh produce that is available. Nursing homes and school districts also take donations from the institutions to incorporate the fresh fruit and vegetables into the meals for its residents and students.

The Jefferson City Correctional Center was the department’s top producer this year with nearly 31 tons of produce donated, while the Boonville Correctional Center donated the second-largest amount with nearly 27 tons. The Western Missouri Correctional Center rounded out the department’s top three with 26 tons of produce donated. 

The beneficiaries of the donations are always appreciative of the fresh produce that goes toward feeding those in need.

“The Restorative Justice program at JCCC has been an extremely strong and constant supporter of the Food Bank’s mission for years,” said Tom Pridemore, Development Manager for the Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri. “Two years ago, the Food Bank set an ambitious goal that 25 percent of the food that we distribute be in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables. We’re still working toward reaching that lofty goal, and significant donations like the large amount of fresh produce from JCCC help in a big way. We are extremely thankful for the generosity that JCCC continues to demonstrate in the fight against hunger.”

The department’s Restorative Justice Garden Program operates without the assistance of tax-payer money and grows a variety of produce every year at 19 of the 20 adult institutions and three of the community supervision centers of the Division of Probation and Parole in Missouri.

Offenders typically start cultivating the garden plots in April, while the harvesting usually begins in July and ends in late fall. All of the seeds and plants for the gardens are donated to the institutions, and in return, all the produce grown is then donated.

“Restorative Justice” is a belief that addresses criminal behavior with the fundamental philosophy that when a crime is committed, a debt is incurred. Restorative Justice holds offenders accountable, while providing a means for them to repay their debt to the victim as well as to the community. It gives offenders the opportunity to transition from an institutional setting with an improved attitude, which helps strengthen the social bonds that serve as the foundation of our communities.

In addition to donating produce, several institutions donated whole plants to various outreach organizations in Missouri. The Western Missouri Correctional Center donated 11,172 plants to the Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City, while the Moberly Correctional Center donated more than 3,800 tomato plants to local food pantries and senior centers. 

Totals for the Restorative Justice Gardens in 2014 and the organizations that received donations:

Restorative Justice Garden Produce Donations

(as of Dec. 19, 2014)

 

Institution

Number of Pounds Donated

 

Donated to

·          Algoa Correctional Center

6257

Samaritan Center; Salvation Army; Visions Unlimited Food Pantry; Boys and Girls Club; Prenger Center; Holts Summit Soup Kitchen

·         Boonville Correctional Center

53,180

New Franklin Senior Housing; Katy Manor Nursing Home; Chariton Co. Senior Housing; Neighbors Helping Neighbors Food Bank; Columbia Food Bank; Boonville Senior Center; Fayette Care Center & Bristol Manor; Saline Food Bank; Harvest House; Fayette Food Bank; Slater Food Pantry

·         Chillicothe Correctional Center

23,907

Morningside Center; MO Rural Crisis Center; SALT Center; Bella Brooke Adult Daycare; Livingston County Food Pantry; House of Prayer; Senior Center; Second Harvest of St. Joseph; Indian Hills Nursing Home; Veterans Home-Cameron MO; St. John’s Lutheran Church; Trinity Food Pantry; Community Options, CTHW; Safe Haven; Baptist Home: RSVP; C-2000; Chillicothe Housing Authority; Hillcrest Manor Nursing Home; Livingston County Health Dept, Ashbury Heights; North MO Center for Youth; Long Blum Home; Salvation Army; Caldwell County Food Pantry; Sunnyview Nursing Home; Grand River Multi Purpose Center; Mary Ann Slaughtery; Hale Methodist Church; Bella Brooke; Marceline Nursing Home; Eastview Nursing Home

·         Cremer Therapeutic Community Center

 

No garden due to space

·         Crossroads Correctional Center

11,051

Cameron Women Shelter; Community Cupboard; Cameron Food Bank; Cameron Senior Living Center; Maysville Estates; Maysville Senior Center; Polo Food Bank; Stewartsville Food Pantry; Living Hope Food Pantry

·         Eastern Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center

4622

Elvin’s Food Pantry; Memorial United Methodist Church; ABC Learning Center Farmington

·          Farmington Correctional Center

39,013

Elvins Food Pantry; Centenary Methodist Church; Memorial Methodist Church in Farmington; Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry; Farmington Senior Center; Presbyterian Children’s Home; Faith Family Worship Center in Fredericktown; Fredericktown Senior Center; Faith Cowboy Church Food Pantry; Bismarck Church of God Food Pantry

·         Fulton Reception & Diagnostic Center

2336

SERVE

·         Jefferson City Correctional Center

61,977

Samaritan Center; Salvation Army; MO Foster Care & Adoption; Central Missouri Food Bank; Northeast Missouri Food Bank

·         Maryville Treatment Center

 

 

·         Missouri Eastern Correctional Center

5411

Agape House in Pacific; Feed My People

·         Moberly Correctional Center

3750

Christos Center; Salisbury Food Pantry; LaPlata Food Pantry; Higbee Senior Center

·         Northeast Correctional Center

38,028

Hope Center Food Pantry; Moore Pike; Bowling Green Food Pantry; Louisiana Food Pantry; Whiteside MO Food Pantry; Hannibal Salvation Army

·         Ozark Correctional Center

5164

Kings Food Pantry in Seymour & Webster County Food Pantry in Marshfield

·         Potosi Correctional Center

5435

Sayers Senior Center; Caledonia Food Pantry; Madison County Senior Center; Methodist Food Pantry; Park Hills Sr. Center; Farmington Manor; Shared Blessed Ministry; South Iron Food Pantry; Georgian Garden Potosi; Ozark Manor Fredericktown; Madison County Food Pantry; Assisted Living Fredericktown

·         South Central Correctional Center

5750

Texas County Food Pantry; Licking Food Pantry

·          Southeast Correctional Center

17,145

East Prairie Nutrition Center; Charleston Nutrition Center; Charleston Food Bank; Bethel Ministries Sikeston Food Pantry; Southeast MO Food Bank; Sikeston Nutrition Center; Shinning Light Food Pantry; Mission Missouri; Holy Trinity Church Food Pantry

·         Tipton Correctional Center

3600

Moniteau County Nutrition Center

·          Western Missouri Correctional Center

52,050

Cameron’s Woman’s Shelter; The Community Cupboard; Second Harvest; Maysville Food Bank; Stewartsville Food Bank; North Davies School; Osborn School; Gallatin School; South Harrison School; Pattonsburg School

·         Western Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center

4763

2nd Harvest Food Bank

·         Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center

2297

Countryside Nursing Home; Vandalia Senior Center; The Help Center; Vandalia Food Pantry; Monroe City Nursing Home

·         St. Joseph Community Supervision Center

7479

Salvation Army; Open Door Food Kitchen

·         Farmington Community Supervision Center

842

Farmington Senior Center; Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry; St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry

·         Kennett Community Supervision Center

1971

The Helping Hand

TOTAL

356,028 lbs  (178 tons)

 

Plants donated:

            MECC donated 150 tomato plants to Agape House

MCC donated the following plants: 

  • 800 tomato plants to Timberlake Food Pantry
  • 15 tomato plants to Salisbury Senior Center
  • 100 tomato plants to Salisbury Senior Housing
  • 1,200 tomato plants to LaPlata Food Pantry
  • 500 tomato plants to Christos Center
  • 72 tomato plants to Higbee Senior Center
  • 1,200 tomato plants to Family Life Fellowship

FCC donated the following plants:

  • 400 tomato plants to Elvins Food Pantry
  • 150 pepper plants to Elvins Food Pantry
  • 350 tomato plants to Centenary Methodist Church & Farmington Memorial Methodist Church in Bonne Terre
  • 50 pepper plants to Centenary Methodist Church & Farmington Memorial Methodist Church in Bonne Terre

WMCC donated 11,172 plants to Master Gardeners of greater Kansas City

CCC donated 96 cauliflower plants; 36 broccoli plants; 32 cabbage plants; 384 pepper plants; and 480 tomato plants to Grand River area and Voc-Tech School

ERDCC donated 100 tomato plants to Elvin’s Food Pantry