Edible Michiana

Starke County jail garden adds to skills, health, hope

• Photo by Chris Zibutis

  Last year, Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin and Starke County Jail Warden Phil Cherry began a Jail garden to help inmates not only feed themselves but also gain a feeling of self-worth. Since its start, the Fostering A Recovering Mentality (FARM) program has grown to help the inmates and the community.

• Photo by Chris Zibutis

  Starke County jail inmate Robert Manns stands in a field that is part of the jail's FARM program. Manns has worked in the garden, helping produce food for himself, other inmates and food banks and senior centers in the county.

• Photo by Chris Zibutis

  Starke County Jail inmate Chad Stump stands among the crops he's worked on all spring and summer. He says that working in the FARM program has given him a sense of direction and purpose, but it's also helped him gain weight and become healthier.