Businesses, community groups help South Side Farms expand infrastructure

The week of Aug. 26 was a busy one for South Side Farms in Cape Girardeau. Each weekday, construction commenced on a new plan to add pathways, a parking lot and other infrastructure improvements to the community farm at 900 S. West End Blvd.

Several local construction-related companies aided in the week’s endeavor. Delta Companies, Nip Kelley Equipment, Fabrick Cat, EquipmentShare and Roland Machinery all provided equipment and worked on infrastructure improvements for the farm.

“The purpose of this work here was to improve access to South Side Farms. Access has been our keyword here, not only for our residents but for the folks on site doing the work day to day,” South Side Farms project manager Wyky Jean said.

Their excavation work adds a slight westward slope to a new parking area, preventing water from draining into the farm and damaging its crops. The parking lot will also negate the need for people to park on Walnut Street.

“Before, we were driving on dirt, but now we’ll have actual pathways. These are the advantages of having companies like Delta help facilitate the work that you see here this week,” Jean said.

The new construction adds an additional half-acre of available space to grow produce, Jean said. A carport shed with a metal roof is also planned for the parking lot to provide shade during hot days.

Local businesses and organizations also are aiding the farm in less tangible ways than construction. The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Cape program has participants work to grow exposure for area not-for-profits, and some members chose to help out South Side Farms.

Matt Palisch, a broker associate with Edge Realty, is in the group working with the farm. His group is creating a farm-to-table social dinner as a fundraiser using the farm’s own produce in the meal. They are creating a marketing plan for the event, which they hope to hold in the fall of 2025.

“That’s the project we’ve landed on and have every intention of becoming its inaugural event next fall … we really are farm-to-table, that will be the premise,” Palisch said.

Marnie Mitchell, a senior mortgage banker at Flat Branch Home Loans in Cape Girardeau, presented the farm with a $3,000 check Thursday, Aug. 29. The money came from an employee-funded not-for-profit called The Giving Branch and is intended to aid the farm’s ongoing infrastructure work.

“Plus, at Flat Branch Home Loans, we really want to support the people that are boots-on-the-ground in the community, literally doing the hard work to support the community,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell is a board member for the southern branch of The Giving Branch and provides funding to not-for-profits on a monthly basis. She said she is excited seeing the farm grow.

“South Side Farms extends its sincerest gratitude to our community partners for their generosity and unwavering support. Our organization has been blessed with tangible gifts that will enable us to continue our mission of eradicating food insecurity in South Cape,” South Side Farms executive director Maurice Theriot said. “… We are confident that these infrastructure improvements and generous financial donations will have a profound impact on our mission.”

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