JENKINSVILLE – Set in Stone is a non-profit farm located in Jenkinsville in Western Fairfield County that focuses on teaching sustainable living and healthy food options.
Executive Director of the farm, Selvbrea SeVen Stone, operates the non-profit on her late grandfather’s land in rural Jenkinsville. She provides educational and agricultural workshops, hands-on agricultural/food preservation/preparation experiences and animal husbandry for both adults and students. The farm also offers opportunities to purchase fresh produce directly from the farm.
Stone said there are many things on the farm that could use the grant money – a certified kitchen, classrooms for teaching cooking and food preservation, gardening equipment – she says the list is endless.
“I’ve decided to use ACRE’s grant funding for our farm-to-school program,” she says. “My plan is to start gardens at as many area schools as possible, allowing the students to cultivate, harvest, and process the food, to introduce them to the world of sustainability.
Along with that, they would learn how to preserve it through canning, dehydration and freezing. The program would also include expert-led cooking classes.
She currently holds summer camps for several Richland County organizations that support youth – Right Direction and the Learning Center – as well as 4-H and several high schools in Richland County. In Fairfield, Set in Stone Farm has a partnership with Fairfield County School District’s Career & Technology center.
“The horticulture students at the Career Center help me with seeding and things like that,” Stone said. “They have a garden and are very involved with planting.
“Keenan High School students come to the farm every year to learn about processing chickens,” Stone said. “This year they processed about 40 roosters – everything from humanely killing the roosters, cleaning and de-feathering them, then placing the processed birds on ice.”
“My bachelors’ degree is in human resources, and I spent most of her career in criminal justice, but I’ve always loved the life of gardening, farming and cooking, but never imagined this is where I would end up.
“I love being out here, enjoying the country life. At first only my family benefited from my work here on the farm. Then, I realized that my whole neighborhood needed to have the opportunity to understand where their food comes from and how to prepare and preserve it. And I want to do more.
“I believe I can best accomplish this though the schools, teaching this to students – how to grow, process and preserve their own food, so that when they grow up they will know how to live a sustainable life,” Stone said.
Set in Stone Farm is located at 111 Family Road in Jenkinsville. To contact the farm, call 803-873-5147.
