Dear Editor,
In response to the Letter to the Editor written by Rizwati Freeman, we are happy to share that the chickens at the Upward Bound House urban farm on Yale Street are well cared for and help make this charitable project special. They are sheltered in a chicken coop to protect them from dangerous predators including coyotes and raccoons. An experienced team from Upward Bound House (UBH) cares for their food, shelter and livelihood, cleaning their coops and also giving them time outside of the cages to roam. Their coop is more than adequate for their size and for the number of birds that are kept there.
The eggs produced by the chickens (along with vegetables harvested at the farm) feed homeless families living in Upward Bound House transitional housing in Santa Monica. The children also have time at the garden to interact with the chickens, plant seeds, and harvest vegetables and herbs. Not only do the chickens provide eggs for the families, and engagement for the kids of UBH, they serve as an essential part of the healthy soil we’ve been able to cultivate on the urban farm. With their free roaming, the chickens control bug infestations, scratch and peck the soil for aeration and their coop cleanings provide an excellent source of nitrogen for the compost.
Many of the children who visit the garden and get to interact with the chickens have never had this kind of opportunity in their lifetime living in an urban environment. It opens a whole new world to them to touch, feel, smell, see and learn how and where food comes from. This is a peaceful respite for the families who have struggled, providing a calming opportunity to interact with nature.
We may have different points of view on how an urban farm is operated, but hopefully we can agree that pulling our community together to help un-housed families is a good and important thing.
If anyone would like additional information about the Yale St. Urban Farm and the great services that Upward Bound House provides to families in need (or would like to volunteer), please visit their website upwardboundhouse.org/programs
Marius Markevicius, Yale St. Urban Garden Property Ownership
