NORTHVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A farm stand in Northville is offering much more than fresh vegetables, local honey, and handcrafted goods. Every purchase at the Living and Learning Enrichment Center's farm stand helps change lives by supporting vocational training for individuals with disabilities.
Rain or shine, year-round, Rosemary Ann Jiddou works hard to make sure the farm stand is in tip-top shape. Jiddou is the manager in training of the stand at the Living and Learning Enrichment Center in Northville.
"I'm truly honored and blessed to be on the farm stand, and everybody here knows it," Jiddou said.
Everyone helps out with everything at the farm stand, washing eggs, prepping labels, and showing the product. Olivia Jakubczak is one of the employees learning valuable skills.
"I've learned how to make honey and sell vegetables and all this," Jakubczak said.
The vegetables are harvested fresh from their farm, including tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, cucumbers, and peppers. Handcrafted pieces are made in their art shop, Baseline Studio. Eggs are from the farm's chickens.
"You can give it to a friend or put it on your fridge as a magnet," said Shannon Lovelace, a farm stand employee.
Packaging honey is done in-house, made by their farm's bees. The honey is labeled and ready to sell at the farm stand.
The farm stand serves as a place teaching real vocational job skills, development, and socialization to its members, individuals with different abilities.
"I love to be with my friends and job coaches," said Lovelace. "I love meeting new people."
It's a place where disability doesn't stop the ability to have a career and make real connections.
"It's not about sales, it's about this community and it's about love and it's about empowerment and visibility," said Alyssa Givas, farm education manager.
The farm stand is one of many programs offered by the Living and Learning Enrichment Center, a place that has been changing lives year after year.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Living and Learning Enrichment Center offers a unique approach to enriching lives.
"I think our goal is mostly to teach and to guide and to support, but then to let them run with it, and we get to step back and let them do their thing," Givas said.
The program is fueled by community support from patrons and volunteers like Luke Altomare, who runs the bee program with his partner, Randy.
"Previously, somebody had bees here, but it was a long time ago, and we decided to reestablish the hives," Altomare said.
They care for the bees and donate half the honey produced.
“I only live a couple miles from her, and I used to drive past the property all the time, and where they had the beehives, you could see them from the road,” said Altomare.
Support is something they are always looking for to keep going. An opportunity for the public to learn more comes Oct. 10, when there will be an open house for people to stop by and learn more about the program.
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