IDOC honors WVCF gardeners with Great Harvest Award

L-R: Director of Culinary Arts Vocational Re-Entry Jim Bradford, WVCF Assistant Superintendent/Re-Entry Kevin Gilmore, IDOC Deputy Commissioner/Operations Jim Basinger, Office of Investigations/Intelligence Travis Davis, WVCF Superintendent Dick Brown and WVCF Utility Captain Eric Brewer/WVCF photo

​Wabash Valley Correctional Facility 

CARLISLE -- And the Great Harvest Award goes to…the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF)! 

The inaugural Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) honor was presented to WVCF  garden managers, Utility Captain Eric Brewer and Investigations and Intelligence Officer Travis Davis. 

A whopping 7,935 pounds of produce was harvested in 2016.  WVCF vegetables were distributed to seven area food pantries.  Volunteers from the PLUS (Purposeful Living Units Serve) program tended to the garden.  They raised squash, zucchini, bell peppers, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, watermelons and pumpkins. 

IDOC Culinary Arts Director Jim Bradford said facilities statewide produced 53,747.5 pounds of food.  “We had a friendly competition between facilities to raise the most produce but Hoosier families in need are the real winners,” he said. 

​Since the garden projects sprouted three years ago nearly 100,000 pounds of produce has been distributed to food pantries around Indiana.  Captain Brewer said WVCF workers really take pride in the garden project, adding, “This benefits the public and lets our offenders give back to the community in a helpful and nutritional way.”  The Wabash garden helped pantries in Knox, Green, Sullivan and Vigo Counties.  Captain Brewer added preparation work is already underway for 2017. 
 
Former IDOC Commissioner Bruce Lemmon planted the seeds of encouragement for facilities to create gardens, helping the less fortunate and boosting pride and accomplishment for offender workers.