ORCHARD PARK — A big red barn now stands on the Providence Farm Collective in Orchard Park.
It represents a new phase in the farm’s mission. The farm is a nonprofit organization that supports refugee, immigrant and other low income communities start their own agricultural businesses.
On Friday, they held a barn warming to celebrate this portion of the nonprofit’s $2.3 million project.
“I call this place home, but now it became more homier… if that’s a term,” said Hamadi Ali, the market manager for the collective.
“It's a wonderful, wonderful space and that will offer our 250 farmers efficiencies in washing and packing their produce, storing their produce for markets that we didn't have before,” said executive director Kristin Heltman-Weiss.
Mahamud “Mo” Mberwa, who works for the collective, explained that until now, the farmers had to wash and package their produce outside, even in the cold and the only shelter was in a tent.
“I remember when we moved here, this was a tent here and the wind would come,” he said.
Ali showed the current washing station which can only accommodate two or three farmers at a time and has only cold water.
“This small space here,” he said, “and sometimes you got about 10 to 15 farmers lined up to try to wash their produce.”
Inside the new barn, at least 10 farmers can work at once in the the big industrial sinks that will be inside. They will have warm and cold water. The building also will have restrooms, showers and an industrial kitchen, as well as a small indoor market space.
“We used to have the old barn that is not very good in its condition and the farmers have to work around it. But here having a new barn, the barns works for the farmer rather than the other way,” said Elizabeth Thida-Htway, community engagement coordinator at the collective.
