In 2017, Owen Lynch helped found Restorative Farms, an organization that fights food insecurity in South Dallas. Restorative Farms operates on the site of the MLK Community Center and the Hatcher Station Training Farm and Community Garden (Levitt, n.d.).
The farm is an urban garden that provides local grown food for the South Dallas community, along with training the community members to keep the garden growing and running. This is a sustainable organization that tries to give the community the tools to maintain their own food sources as opposed to relying on external companies and the local government (Levitt, n.d.).
The coalition also has a program called “GroBox” which are kits that are given out to families with supplies to start their own garden at home. These are especially beneficial for low-income families who struggle to get food on the table (From Vacant Lot to Full Plate, 2021).
In addition to the training and urban gardens, Restorative Farms also provides apprenticeships to members of the community. This teaches them about nutrients, how to care for their plot of land, and how to cook the vegetables they grow (From Vacant Lot to Full Plate, 2021).
From vacant lot to full plate: New partnership creates South Dallas urban farm. (2021, October 21). Dallas News. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/inspired/2021/10/21/from-vacant-lot-to-full-plate-new-partnership-creates-south-dallas-urban-farm/
Levitt, R. (n.d.). Owen Lynch, Ph.D., Co-Founder of Restorative Farms. Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://blog.smu.edu/huntinstitute/2020/07/07/meet-owen-lynch-co-founder-of-restorative-farms/