The following is from Friends of Donegal, an organization that began in 2021. Its purpose is to meet the needs of people and families in Donegal, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding area.
Jarod, a Getting Ahead participant from Pennsylvania, was introduced to Friends of Donegal (Mount Joy, Pennsylvania) in a Getting Ahead class run by that organization. Jarod had faced many setbacks in his young life. He was isolated from family and friends, and he was unable to engage in school or in the community.
At the start of the Getting Ahead class, Jarod was quiet and kept to himself. One of his goals that surfaced through conversations in the class was to start a community garden. As an empowerment team, Friends of Donegal wondered: How can we support him in making this goal a reality?
By leveraging Jarod’s newfound source of social capital in Friends of Donegal, in the spring of 2022, Jarod developed Donegal Community Gardens, with his first garden at Florin Church in Mount Joy. Jarod worked with a local grower, and five individuals agreed to have personal plots in the garden. Jarod helped them grow and harvest their own vegetables.
By summer of 2023, another garden, at Mount Joy Mennonite Church, was added to Jarod’s enterprise. This site produces bulk vegetables, such as potatoes and green beans, for the Donegal Power Packs program. Jarod, who was so shy and reserved at that first Getting Ahead class, was now participating in community speaking engagements. In 2023, he hosted a garden open house to introduce the community to the garden.
Jarod was not only making strides in the community but personally as well. He passed his driver’s test and began his first job with Dave’s Cleanouts and Collectibles. Gone are the days of isolation. Now days are filled with being an engaged member of the community.
Just prior to the start of 2024, Donegal Presbyterian Church donated 3.6 acres to be used for Jarod to grow vegetables. Jarod continues to set new goals, which include living independently and buying a vehicle to transport produce from the garden. To stay on track, he continues to attend monthly Staying Ahead classes.
Jarod is flourishing! He is a testament to how a little community can go a long way.
The aha! Process Getting Ahead program engages investigators (participants) in exploring the realities of poverty in their communities and how those realities impact them. They also explore the causes of poverty, the “hidden rules” of economic class, and ways to develop resources and build stable lives. Getting Ahead graduates build relationships across class lines and often join the decision-making tables in their communities.
