MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
A unique partnership between the Hutchinson Correctional Facility and the community is helping feed local families while giving incarcerated residents valuable job skills and a sense of purpose.
The Hutchinson Correctional Facility's Garden for Good program has been producing fresh vegetables for the community since 2012. Now in its 14th year, the two-acre garden provides thousands of pounds of fresh produce annually to local food banks, pantries and community organizations.
Angela Penner, director of the Reno County Food Bank, said the partnership has become an important resource for families facing food insecurity.
"It's been tremendous," Penner said. "It's always wonderful to get fresh produce into the hands of our neighbors who are suffering from food insecurity."
The food bank has recently received potatoes, onions and cabbage from the garden, produce that Penner said is always in demand.
"When we've not had the food from them, our customers have come in and asked for things like potatoes or onions, and we've not had it," she said. "They've certainly missed that in the past, and they've appreciated having that."
Hutchinson Correctional Facility Public Service Administrator Thad Bartley said the program benefits both the community and the incarcerated residents who maintain the garden.
Produce is used to feed the prison population, sold to employees and donated to organizations including the Reno County Food Bank, Pretty Prairie Food Bank, Washington Heights senior apartments and the local soup kitchen.
"When I take it to the soup kitchen, people from the community show up," Bartley said. "They know when I'll be there on Thursday, and they help unload the truck and help distribute the food to everybody in need."
The program's impact continues to grow. In 2024, gardeners produced 34,000 pounds of vegetables. Last year, production increased to 36,000 pounds, with approximately 23,000 pounds donated to the community.
Bartley said the goal this year is to harvest 40,000 pounds of produce and donate nearly 30,000 pounds.
The garden produces a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, cantaloupe and watermelon. An orchard featuring apple and pear trees was also planted this year, although those trees won't begin producing fruit for about four years.
Beyond providing fresh food, the program offers educational and vocational opportunities.
Twenty-five incarcerated residents participate in the gardening program, with each maintaining a small personal garden plot in addition to working in the community garden. Participants have already earned Master Gardener certification through K-State Research and Extension, while another group is currently working toward certification.
Bartley said the program teaches more than gardening.
"It helps them with good communication skills," he said. "It gives them something they actually know how to do. They can feel good about it. They have a Master Gardener certificate when they're done."
The certification can help participants find employment in landscaping, nurseries or greenhouses after their release.
The garden itself has transformed previously unused prison property. The two-acre site was once swampy ground, but years of adding soil, improving drainage and incorporating organic fertilizer have made it highly productive, even after heavy rains.
Bartley said K-State Research and Extension officials recently recognized Hutchinson's garden as the best prison garden program in Kansas. The site also includes a research plot where new seed varieties are tested for performance in Kansas growing conditions.
For Penner, the success of the program is measured by the difference it makes for local families.
Fresh produce remains one of the most requested items at the food bank, and the Garden for Good program helps ensure those healthy options are available for Reno County residents who need them most while providing incarcerated residents with meaningful work and valuable skills for the future.