Our Story
Located on 2 acres of land on the South side of downtown Kalamazoo, Tabitha Farm & Community Food Forest supports a food forest full of edible preenials open to anyone in the neighborhood, a fruit orchard, egg laying chickens, goats, a compost operation to feed and mend the city dirt it lives on, a play area for neighborhood kids, and lots of greens space. We prectise permaculture, where we try to grow food and flowers symbionically with the ecology around us.
Why are we named Tabitha Farm? 51 years ago there was a girl born named Tabitha. She lived her life with great exuberance, had a great attitude even though she was constantly ridiculded because she had Down Syndrome, which was made worse when she lost all of her hair due to Chemotherapy because she had Lukemia. She was my sister. Growing up with her, I learned deep love, exceptance, and diversity, which are all values that I practice everyday with the Homestead. She was born in Battle Creek, but raised in Kalamazoo. She had many close friends in Kalamazoo. Unfortunatly, we moved to Massachusetts in 1983 so she could get futher treatment at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Even though she was in ongoing chemotherapy she ran in the Special Olympics and won two golds and a silver. She was so intellegent, so authentic, a spitfire, and a wonderful playmate. Shortly after moving to Massachusetts Tabitha passed away. She always explained to our mom that she missed Kalamazoo, and wanted to return. Tabitha Farm has been named in her honor. Our hope is that Tabitha Farm will be here for a long time, enriching the southside of Kalamazoo by nurturing the soil, and bringing love and light to our neighborhood.
