We received an email from a man who is creating a farming project to help Flint’s youth and teach them invaluable skills. So, I thought I would share more about this excelled project. I’ll turn over to Delmond Marshall now!

My name is Delmond Marshall, son of Ben Marshall, Flint area tennis coach and 7 time Teacher of the year at Flint Northwestern High School.

I started the Ben Marshall Family Foundation in his honor to continue helping the kids of Flint, how my father has done for nearly 50 years. We are also trying to get the tennis courts redone and renamed in my fathers honor. If it wasn’t for the generosity of Aurora Innovations in Eugene, Oregon , this project never would’ve been able to start. But I got it started, thanks to the help of my brother, an Army veteran. He and I worked to get the land I obtained into a good enough condition for us to start the project on time. Dr. Panicker of Alcorn State helped me a lot with the project sending me information, seeds and a blueprint guide for me to teach from.

What makes our Farming Initiative different from other gardening projects in the area is that we are helping get Flint area children into college at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi. We will be teaching kids how to plant & grow vegetables that can offset the effects of lead exposure using a collegiate like curriculum to help inspire & build positive learning traits outside of schooling. The Flint Unity Farming Project will consist of a Non profit section, as well as the Trevis Rouser Lawn Service where we will hire our kids to work in the spring and summer cutting lawns & doing landscaping & hopefully shoveling snow in the winter time. The FUFP will be teaching the areas only Indoor Gardening class this winter to kids this winter at Amazing Grace Church. Our commitment is to help the people of Flint, Michigan, especially the children that suffered from the Flint Water Crisis, which is still ongoing. experts say it will take at least 10 years before the water situation will be corrected.

Once they complete the class, they’d be eligible to work for the TR Lawn Service. I built a memorial to him at Berston Community center in Flint where he used coach and sponsor youth basketball teams. The TR lawn care service company will serve as a business to give our kids jobs planting and farming and cutting lawns both business & residential properties in the spring, summer & fall, and hopefully shoveling snow in the winter time.

Our goal is to have 2 Hoop houses built and start an organic drink line from the Kale that we’ll grow. Teaching them and giving them gainful employment among the 12 to 18 year old Flint children would curb crime and actually help the planet.

I’m in contact with major corporations seeking the investment & donations needed to start this initiative.

I’m writing you in hopes that your store would donate/sponsor our Winter Indoor Gardening Project here to get tools & a hoop house built on our land so that we could teach kids year round, and grow year round. My brother and I have been able to secure donations for supplies from various corporations out of state, while paying for everything out of our own pockets to keep it up & running. After nearly going bankrupt for what we are doing for 2 years, to finally be nominated for a 2016 Non Profit Impact Award is an honor. But I know that I could do more for these kids if I had more to work it. After collecting over 2,000 NO’s or denial letters from local Flint businesses & agencies asking them to please help me in getting this started, I was lucky enough to receive one YES from a company based all the way in the state of Oregon, that agreed to start the Flint Unity Farming Project.

My goal is to start Marshall Farms – which will be an organic health drink made from the No GMO, organic kale & vegetables we grow. I’m trying to raise money so we can become fully operational with 2 grow houses. If you would donate or invest with us, we could name the hoop houses after your business. My other goal is to get this Flint Unity Farming Project as an elective class in Flint community schools- elementary to High school level. My goal is to establish branches of the FUFP here in Flint and in Detroit to reconnect our children to the earth again. I’ve been paying for this project out of my own pocket because I got over 2 thousand NO’s from area businesses & organizations about this project.

Learn more here.