A sprouting success
from the prison

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Prisons are generally thought of as cold, dark and barren places lined with walls of concrete and gates of iron.
But reality proved to be a lot warmer, brighter and more fertile for Philadelphia prisoners Katrina Troutman, Anthony Campanaro and Darryl Douglas.
Those three were among about 140 inmates who this spring and summer participated in the City Harvest Project, helping to cultivate thousands of pounds of vegetables for distribution to needy folks throughout the city.
Last Thursday, Troutman, Campanaro and Douglas joined other current and former inmates, prison officials, representatives of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and other City Harvest partners to celebrate their accomplishments in the program’s second full growing season.
This year, inmates grew some 22,000 vegetable seedlings inside a greenhouse at the city’s State Road prison complex. Those plants were in turn distributed to 24 community gardens around the city where volunteers nurtured them to maturity. Inmates had their own garden, too.
As of last week, those gardens had yielded 8,000 pounds of food for local families who otherwise could not afford to eat healthy meals.
Another City Harvest partner, the Self Help And Resource Exchange (SHARE) distributed the fresh produce through its network of 23 food cupboards around the city.
The so-called "food insecure" folks weren’t the only ones benefiting from the program, according to Michael Resnick, chief of staff for Prisons Commissioner Leon King.
Participating inmates learn marketable skills that can help them upon their return to the community. They develop companionship with fellow inmates through hard work. And they get to see the fruits of their labor benefit a worthy cause.
"The program has captured the imagination of the staff and inmates alike," said Resnick.
"It makes me feel good to know that the produce we harvest goes to places like Catholic Social Services on Jackson Street," Troutman said.
Corrections Officer Tom O’Neal, a 19-year veteran of the prison system, works in the greenhouse full-time showing inmates the skills he learned as a boy on his family’s Bradford County, Pa., farm.
For prisoners who have earned the privilege of working with O’Neal, the greenhouse is like a slice of freedom.
"Being in the greenhouse is a peaceful and relaxing time to reflect on my life," said Troutman, whom program officials described as a mentor figure for her fellow inmates.
"I really started looking forward to it every day," added Campanaro, who worked in the program for six months before his release from prison.
"I didn’t want to be locked up, but I knew I needed some intervention," he said.
Douglas is another alumnus of the City Harvest program. His experience in the greenhouse and garden helped him get a full-time job with a local landscaping company upon his release. He also re-established his home life with his wife.
"For all of the inmates here, there’s always a second chance to make it on the outside," Douglas said. "If I can make it, you can make it, too."
Also at last week’s celebration, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society director Joan Reilly announced that City Harvest’s primary sponsor, The Albert M. Greenfield Foundation, had extended funding for the program for another two years.
"This is the engine," Reilly said of the prison greenhouse. "This is where it all starts with all of those little seedlings." ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com