Urban farm grows food and community

Behind The Master’s Table Soup Kitchen, 702 Fenwick Street, a steady rhythm hums between garden beds and a small chicken coop. The urban farm program manager for Golden Harvest Food Bank, Sara Mitchell, gestures toward Panther, the rooster, and his two hens, Ginger and Thing Two, as they peck the ground that feeds more than just crops.

She explains that Panther isn’t your average barnyard bird. He’s an Ayam Cemani, a rare Indonesian breed whose feathers, skin, and even bones are black because of a genetic trait called fibromelanosis.

“He appeared at the Urban Farm on Memorial Day weekend 2023 and never left,” Mitchell said.

 Regal and unbothered, Panther now plays guardian and mascot, shadowing the hens and eyeing visitors with calm authority while charming volunteers with quiet confidence.

“The chickens are multipurpose,” Mitchell said. “They give us eggs, help with pest control, and they’re a great teaching tool. The kids respond immediately.”

Each Monday, volunteers sign up for chicken-care duty—an hour of feeding, egg collecting and compost work that turns routine tasks into hands-on learning.

For now, the staff is Mitchell plus a deep bench of volunteers, with a part-time farm associate slated to join soon to help manage harvests, tour and volunteer groups, and garden maintenance. The farm isn’t certified organic, but Mitchell sticks to organic methods—composting, rotation and gentle inputs like diatomaceous earth and neem oil. She leans on Ira Wallace’s *Grow Great Vegetables in Georgia*, adapting to the quirks of Zone 8B while balancing quick greens with longer-season staples.

Fall is Mitchell’s favorite growing season: Bok choy, kale, lettuce, garlic, and carrots—simple, forgiving, and easy for the kitchen to use. Okra grows, too, though it splits the room.

“People either love it or hate it,” she said and laughed.

Succession planting keeps the produce coming: two beds this week, two the next, with roots followed by leafy crops to keep soil thriving.

What grows here feeds people throughout the Central Savannah River Area. Much of the harvest goes straight to The Master’s Table, Golden Harvest Food Bank’s downtown soup kitchen located next door to the Urban Farm, which serves 300-plus meals a day.c The farm also donates to GAP Ministries, a long-time non-profit partner that distributes food, clothing and support services across the CSRA, ensuring every harvest finds a home.

Seeds tell a story of stewardship and generosity. Mitchell orders non-GMO, heirloom varieties from True Leaf Market, then stretches her budget with donations. This year, Augusta’s Robert C. Daniel Parkway Target sent over more than 500 seed packets in support of the urban farm.

“When they arrived, I stopped counting,” Mitchell said. “It felt like Christmas.”

Corporate financial support from Bank of America helped redesign the main sections of the urban farm and add a fully functioning greenhouse. At the same time, community partners keep the materials flowing: Good Samaritan Services of North Augusta, South Carolina—owned by Bobby Temenak—and Pollards Corner have delivered mulch and woodchips.

There’s always a need. The farm welcomes bagged leaves from local yards to shred and compost into rich mulch.

 “Leaves are gold,” Mitchell said. “They insulate beds and feed our compost. If you’re raking this fall, we’ll gladly take them.”

The perimeter tells you everything about the farm’s philosophy. Figs, blueberries, persimmons, and other edibles line the fence so neighbors and guests can pluck one or two as they pass and visit.

“If you see something ripe, you’re welcome to take it,” Mitchell said. “This space is meant to nourish everyone.”

Guests from The Master’s Table often wander over after lunch, ask questions, and trade garden memories. One man asked for a few figs because they reminded him of his grandmother’s backyard when he was a child. “Absolutely,” Mitchell told him. “Take what you need.”

Among the many volunteers who make the Urban Farm thrive is Jennifer Westbrook, who began volunteering with her children Jackson, Grant and Roman in 2014. They’ve served at the soup kitchen, warehouse and urban farm.

“I wanted my children to experience all volunteer opportunities at Golden Harvest,” Westbrook said “Hunger and poverty are complex problems, and the Urban Farm lets us help directly. Luke 3:11 says, ‘If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.’ That’s what the Urban Farm does so well.”

Westbrook calls it a place where everyone can pitch in.

“If you can pick weeds, count eggs, or water plants, you can help,” she said. “There’s something for everyone—light or heavy work—all helping families struggling with food insecurity.”

Volunteering has become a family tradition.

“It’s been a blessing for us,” she said. “Miss Sara does so much for the farm. She’s instrumental to its success. We can’t wait for our next shift.”

A short walk away sits the annex, a modest second plot with big potential. According to Mitchell, its gate needs to be repaired—or replaced with an electric entry gate—plus new raised beds. A temporary greenhouse sits at the end of its life and must soon be torn down, making room for a new hoop house or greenhouse.

“We need a real setup,” Mitchell said. “Plumbing and electricity—or a solar system—so we can start seeds year-round, run irrigation, and expand our capacity.”

With proper infrastructure, the annex could double its output to The Master’s Table and GAP Ministries. Garden tools and supplies would accelerate that progress—wheelbarrows, shovels, gloves, snips, and seed-starter kits can be dropped off at the Urban Garden on Fenwick Street.

“Every item helps,” she said. “This annex could transform what we can do for the community on a larger scale.”

Public Affairs Specialist Priscilla Elliott said Golden Harvest’s communications and development teams work closely with the Urban Farm to share its impact with the broader community.

 “We want people to see the farm as more than a garden,” Elliott said. “It’s a living classroom and a symbol of hope that ties directly to our (Golden Harvest Food Bank) mission of feeding lives together.”

Next up: make-and-take workshops, pick-and-play days, and community seed swaps to help neighbors build skills and resilience. Mitchell also hopes to expand the flock—with donated laying hens and incubator equipment for hatching lessons that turn curiosity into understanding.

“Chickens are a great entry point,” she said. “They remind people that food systems are alive.”

Right now, the requests are straightforward: volunteers to start seeds in the greenhouse; donations of seed-starter kits, bagged leaves, woodchips, mulch, laying hens, incubator equipment, monetary support, and sweat equity.

“Keeping this space growing is a community effort,” Mitchell said. Everything starts here with people.”

Every seed, chicken, and volunteer serves a larger goal—turning a modest downtown area into a reliable source of fresh food.

“Spreadsheets don’t measure our success,” Mitchell said. “Smiles and conversations do—and so does more than 2,000 pounds of crops a year from the Golden Harvest Food Bank’s Urban Garden, a place built by people and compassion.”

 She proudly notes that weight in pounds isn’t padded by heavy crops such as melons; the steady grind of large and frequent harvests of greens, herbs, and smaller fruits contributes to that weight.

In a city where food insecurity persists, the Golden Harvest Food Bank’s Urban Farm proves cultivation and community can grow side by side.

To volunteer, donate, or learn more about the Urban Farm at Golden Harvest Food Bank, contact Sara Carson-Mitchell, Urban Farm Manager, at (706) 736-2199 ext. 233 or smitchell@goldenharvest.org.

Nick Lovett is an independent journalist with over 20 years of experience in news media and marketing. A former writer for Aiken Standard and Fort Gordon’s Signal newspaper, she focuses on human interest stories that highlight resilience, community and positive change.