Community Grows Together: Phoenix Community Farm Hosts Garden Party July 24
Amid shifting federal support, the Midland community is stepping up to ensure local families have access to fresh, healthy produce. In Midland County, food assistance is the number one reason people call the resource help line (211). Food insecurity is on the rise, and many of our neighbors struggle to meet their basic needs. Phoenix Community Farm (PCF) addresses this need by growing and donating nutritious produce and offering hands-on agricultural education. In 2024, the farm donated 55,052 pounds of produce, provided many hours of no cost community education, and launched an Agriscience class for Windover High School students. To expand their impact and extend the season, PCF has been working for the past year to get their first-ever greenhouse.
“A greenhouse at PCF will enable year-round growing, support education by providing hands-on agricultural learning opportunities, and enhance community reach to serve families and strengthen food and nutrition security,” said Founder and Executive Director Beth De Vries. However, building a greenhouse on the property PCF shares with Windover High School has turned out to be much more challenging than initially expected when the project started over a year ago. Since then, it has grown into a community project with huge support from local businesses, grants, the Leadership Midland class of 2024, and individual donors.
PCF is so grateful for all the community’s support and would like to highlight how the community came together to support this project. At the end of fundraising efforts, rising project costs threatened its viability. PCF is very grateful for an extremely generous in-kind donation of site preparation and foundation services from Fisher Contracting Company, effectively bringing the project back to life. Like De Vries, J.W. Fisher grew up tending a large garden with his family and eating fresh produce. “Phoenix Community Farm is a wonderful and unique effort with great benefits for our community.” said Fisher Construction Company president J.W. Fisher. “I have not seen anything like this in other communities, and I am proud to be a part of this great project.” The greenhouse project became a whole community effort with in-kind donations to support the build from Three Rivers Corporation, Wade Trim, Valley Electric and Reliable Plumbing.
An initial grant of $20,000 from Capital Power's Community Sustainability Fund (CSF), which supports grassroots projects that enhance sustainability and provide benefits to the community, helped launch the project into the design and permitting process, which was challenging in the floodplain and on an educational property. The Consumers Energy Foundation, in its effort to care for people, our planet, and Michigan’s prosperity, joined in supporting the greenhouse project with a grant of $5000.
As the project grew, De Vries recognized the rise in complexity and cost and reached out to local resources and was able to quickly get the support needed of $10,000 through the Service Club Alliance with funding from Midland Kiwanis, Kiwassee Kiwanis, and Midland Noon Rotary. “The Service Club Alliance, an effort of the Midland Area Community Foundation,” states Alysia Christy, Director of Community Impact, “It is a partnership between Midland area service clubs that coordinates efforts and simplifies grantmaking for community organizations. The Alliance simplifies the grant process by using a joint application for applicants who provide support for Midland County residents. The Service Club Alliance is not responsible, as an organization, for the grantmaking made by any of its participants. It is merely the convener of this process. Each service club is responsible for their individual grantmaking efforts.”
At the Leadership Midland Class of 2024 conference, the class heard that getting help with food is the number one reason people call our resource help line (211) in Midland County. Motivated by this information, the class accepted the challenge to fundraise for the greenhouse project with PCF. Katie Bell Pearce, Class Project Steering Committee Leader and Corporate Relationship Manager for United Way of Midland County, “I am so proud of the heart and passion my fellow classmates gave to bringing Phoenix Community Farm's greenhouse project to fruition. We're an eclectic group of professionals, who all gave their time and talents for this special cause. We are excited for the future and what this greenhouse means to the community it will serve." Fundraising efforts motivated several community Crop Champion sponsors who donated $5000 or more toward the cause including Members First Credit Union, Michigan Baseball Foundation, Nick Kramer Family, and Midland Reformed Church.
The Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network (WIN) which was formed to create a more sustainable future for all who live, work and play within the Saginaw Bay watershed, granted $20,000 at the end of the project fundraising to support equipment, supplies and program costs to support year-round sustainable agriculture and education programs.
To celebrate the success of this community-driven effort, Phoenix Community Farm is hosting its first-ever Fundraising Garden Party on Thursday, July 24 at 7:00 p.m. Guests are invited to enjoy an enchanting summer evening among the flowers, complete with garden tours, live music, and gourmet farm-fresh hors d’oeuvres prepared by local chefs and culinary students.
The evening’s menu will feature:
Charcuterie
Mango salsa from Flying Trout
A seasonal zucchini dish from Culinary Students
Grilled Flatbread with Pesto, Whipped Ricotta, Summer Blossoms & Olive Oil crafted by Jason Story
A dish from Aster
A wild edibles dish from Chef Kirby Burns
Chef Kirby Burns will also be curating specialty cocktails inspired by Phoenix Community Farm’s ingredients:
Garden Gin Fizz – light, herbaceous, refreshing, with PCF Herb Syrup
Chamomile Spritz – floral, delicate, bright, with PCF Chamomile Syrup
The Taproot – savory, earthy, sippable, with PCF Root Juice
Wine selections will include Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon, and Midland Brewing Company will be serving Copper Harbor and Dam Good Beer.
Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at www.phoenixcommunityfarm.com. All proceeds support PCF’s mission to increase food access, provide education, and grow community through sustainable agriculture.
Volunteers are welcome at PCF; volunteer times are Mondays and Thursdays from 9 - 11 am, and Tuesday evenings from 6 - 7:30 pm. Sign up to volunteer https://www.volunteerglbr.org/
Learn more about PCF on our website www.phoenixcommunityfarm.com. Donations support our programs, along with the purchase of u-pick flower subscriptions. Visit us at the Midland Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays throughout the season from 7 am - 1 pm to purchase healthy greens fresh and dried herbs and flowers. To learn more about the Service Club Alliance, and to review the application process, please visit: https://www.midlandfoundation.org/initiative/sca/
Do you have a Midland County story you would like to tell that aligns with our vision?