TIKKUN FARM INC

Tikkun Farm is a 3.5-acre urban farm in Mt. Healthy, OH. Our mission is to heal people, repair community and restore creation. The name comes from a Hebrew phrase, tikkun olam, meaning "repair the world." We answer this call to social action and justice through opportunities for meaningful work, education, spiritual practices and trauma-informed care. Our wholistic approach offers many ways for individuals of all ages to heal, connect with others, develop their leadership skills and address the climate crisis.

We focus especially on healing the long-term impact of Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) on survivors’ health and chances for success. Although traumatic events occur in all racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups, the toxic cocktail of race and poverty means trauma disproportionately impacts children of color. Research indicates trauma impacts all income and racial groups, but ACEs are disproportionately more likely among children of color as White youth.

Founder Mary Laymon envisioned Tikkun Farm 20+ years ago. After reading The Body Keeps the Score (van der Kolk) 10 years ago, she integrated his research into her vision. It began manifesting in 2010 when she and her husband bought an abandoned dairy farm and started restoring it. In 2015 they established the nonprofit and set its mission. Since then, Tikkun Farm’s programs have grown by responding to community needs congruent with that mission. They first rescued farm animals in need of homes (2013). They then offered land to Bhutanese refugees needing a place to farm (2016). When neighborhood children showed up needing structured, trauma-informed experiences, they started afterschool/camp programs. With grant support, camps grew dramatically: from 25 in 2016 to 75 in 2017 to 150 in 2018. Seeing the Farm’s impact on children, the staff reached out to Mt. Healthy teachers, who helped start the environmental education program (2019).
When a young man trained in permaculture needed a place to showcase his skills, the Farm offered him room and board, and he laid the foundation for growing food sustainably (2018). When veterans from the nearby transitional housing began visiting, the Farm engaged them in meaningful work and healing arts (2019). Next came Cooking on a Budget classes to support the neighborhood children’s parents (2019). Classes focused on the cooking and trauma-informed care offered their children and opened the door to parents’ participating in other activities. When the pandemic hit in 2020, cutting short cooking classes, the Farm responded by delivering Crockpot meal kits. The first week, we delivered 189 meal kits, and we now prepare 250-300 per week. As food insecurity grew, our fresh surplus food pantry was born. In 2021, the Farm started a job training program to serve young adults and alter the school-to-prison pipeline. As programming grew beyond Laymon’s capacity, she added AmeriCorps positions (1 in 2016 and another in 2021) and later additional staff. All of this is made possible through the joint efforts of 2 full-time staff, 2 part-time staff, 2 interns and 200+ weekly volunteers.

Tikkun Farm's staff and volunteers annually serve more than 7,500 people (unduplicated headcount). To HEAL people, we provide farmland for Bhutanese refugees (60 people); host a maker space; offer yoga, writing and cooking classes (70 people); distribute fresh surplus food (5,639 people); deliver ready-to-fix Crockpot meals (300 households); and host retreats/workshops (400 people). To REPAIR community, we do job training for young adults (50-70 people); offer health education; host community events; and network with local organizations. To RESTORE creation, we use permaculture/regenerative farming to repair topsoil, grow produce and address climate change; care for farm animal rescues; and lead preK-12 environmental education (775 students). Monthly Creation Care volunteer days, engaging more than 570 individuals of all ages, are a key component of our Creation Care operations. Across all areas of farm life are opportunities to start the healing process in a radically welcoming community.

What sets Tikkun Farm apart is its integrated approach and radical hospitality. Most activities advance all three aspects of the mission. Environmental education heals children as they spend time in nature. It also enables them to care for creation both now and in the future. Working to restore the farm’s spaces for growing plants heals the individuals participating in the work, and community forms as people tackle larger projects together. Many guests who come seeking food assistance end up also volunteering to support the Free Market and Crockpot Meals. This increases their sense of worth as they discover they have much to give. Training marginalized young adults to grow and prepare organic food in a judgment-free zone brings healing to participants. At the same time, it heals the earth and paves the way for a more just future when graduates move on to good-paying jobs. People who lead and participate in Tikkun Farm programs bring healing and are healed at the same time.