Blessing ceremony held for South Side Farms project

After two years of planning, research and community collaboration, the Saint Francis Healthcare System Foundation hosted a groundclearing and blessing ceremony for South Side Farms on Friday.

The estimated $20 million project will bring an urban farm, affordable housing, child care, education facilities and more to Cape Girardeau's south side.

Groundclearing began this week at the corner of West End Boulevard and Walnut Street. According to Jimmy Wilferth, vice president of the foundation, the site will host a Junior Achievement center teaching career readiness and financial literacy.

A couple dozen community members attended Friday's ceremony and prayed with former Greater Dimension Ministries pastor Calvin Bird.

From the concrete remains of a former building, Bird removed his hat and recited a prayer.

Bishop Calvin Bird says a prayer at a groundclearing and blessing ceremony for South Side Farms on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022.Monica Obradovic ~ monica@semissourian.com

"God, most of all I pray that you would continue to make us one," Bird said. "Don't allow us to be separated by highways and geography. God, we are all people of this community and we need to come together even more. Let this be a lightning rod to allow us to come together."

Spearheaded by Saint Francis Healthcare System, South Side Farms is the result of several community partnerships. East Missouri Action Agency, Cape Girardeau Public Schools and Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri, among others, have partnered to bring this project to life.

The project involves developing 16 acres of unoccupied land south of Route 74. A police substation, an early-years child care center, farmers market, health clinic, career and technology center and more, are planned for the site.

The area south of Route 74 has no grocery stores. To address the issue, South Side Farms will primarily address expanding access to healthy, nutritious food through an urban farm, farmer's market, food incubator, hydroponics and field crops.

Wilferth said lots of dirt work and land clearing will take place in coming weeks.

Community members pray as bishop Calvin Bird recites a prayer for the South Side Farms community project.Monica Obradovic ~ monica@semissourian.com

Faith served as the foundation for South Side Farms, according to Wilferth.

"We're called to do two things in life as believers," he said after the ceremony. To explain, Wilferth and Wyky Jean, director of development and diversity for Saint Francis Healthcare System, paraphrased a Bible verse from the Book of Mark. "Love God and love your neighbors."

Jean said he felt full of joy and excitement after the ceremony.

"We put so much work in, and we're seeing things start to move," Jean said.

Since the start of this project, both Jean and Wilferth have said they didn't want to do anything they weren't invited to do.

"This isn't my dream; this isn't Wyky's dream," Wilferth said. "This is what this community has said they want, and this is the beginning of that. ... We were invited in, and now we're seeing the beginning of something that's going to be life changing."