November 21, 2025
LANSING, Mich – Nineteen Michigan Department of Corrections facilities maintain and harvest gardens, which provided 116,455 pounds of fresh produce to food pantries, residential care facilities, churches, and community organizations in 2025.
The gardens and horticultural programs, tended by incarcerated individuals, provide opportunities for skill-building, community engagement, and yield meaningful contributions to Michigan nonprofits.
“The gardens at our facilities not only help food banks and nonprofits; they also teach responsibility and patience to those who care for them,” Director Heidi E. Washington said. “The department is proud of our gardeners and instructors for the impact they are making in our communities through these important programs.”
Among the gardens, there are two dedicated horticulture programs at Muskegon Correctional Facility and Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility. The horticulture programs teach certifiable skills for incarcerated individuals to gain employment in the field when they return to the community. Muskegon Correctional Facility horticulture program harvested a total of 35,380 pounds. Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility donated 12,633 pounds to Food Gatherers in Ann Arbor.
“Many months of planning go into one growing season,” said MDOC Horticulture Instructor Brad Dean said. “Onions for this year were started in early January. Flowers could be started up to a year before they go into a landscape or flower bed.”
“Planning is the first step,” Ellen Baron, MDOC Horticulture Instructor at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility said. “Almost as soon as the last growing season ends, we are already thinking about and planning for the next season.”
Of recreational garden programs, Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater recorded the highest total harvest of 31,896 pounds. They donated produce to Branch County Food Pantry and Naomi Davis Shelter House. Contributions included nearly 6,000 pounds of pumpkins to Refurbished Pets of Southwest Michigan and local schools. Participants also painted pumpkins to raise money to support local causes like the Veteran’s Food Locker.
Other MDOC facilities also made significant contributions:
“Thanks to donations, including those from Carson City Correctional Facility, we distributed over 1,000 pounds of fresh produce this season,” said Cyndi Thelen, Director of Beacon of Hope. “This helps families in need put nutritious food on the table and brings hope to those facing challenging times.”
In addition to the fresh food donations made across the state, incarcerated individuals and MDOC staff have continued a variety of community-focused projects. These include a pumpkin painting project to support local fundraising and charities; crochet, knitting, and blanket-making initiatives for hospitals, schools, and shelters; as well as school supply drives, butterfly sanctuary projects, and community garden plantings that engage participants in meaningful environmental and educational programs.
MDOC gardens have donated food and helped raised funds for various charities for over a decade. Non-profits and pantries who are looking to partner with the Michigan Department of Corrections for the harvesting season of 2026 can reach out to Jenni Riehle, MDOC Public Information Officer at 517-241-0363.
Painted pumpkins created by an incarcerated individual. Part of the 6,000 pounds of pumpkins donated this season by Lakeland Correctional Facility to support local food drives alongside donations of fresh produce.
Carson City Correctional Facility gardeners celebrate the final harvest of the season after completing 13 donation trips to the St. John’s Beacon of Hope Family Care Center.
Cooper Street Correctional Facility’s largest pumpkin of the season was 111 pounds—part of the facility’s 6,999 pounds of produce donated to the Salvation Army.
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