Proposed South Side Farms would bring urban farm, new housing to South Cape

Jimmy Wilferth had just bought $30,000 in gift cards at Ruler Foods grocery store when a question pervaded his thoughts: How could he help bring sustainable change to the south side of Cape Girardeau?

The gift cards were for participants of Tiger Bites, a program run by Saint Francis Healthcare System Foundation to provide students and families of Jefferson Elementary School food during summer months. The program helped feed children at a time when school meals weren't available, but for Wilferth, it seemed to apply just a small bandage to a greater, systemic wound.

Wilferth, vice president of the foundation, found the answer to his question through prayer and an ancient Chinese proverb. "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."

Eighteen months later, Wilferth presented his proposal for South Side Farms to Cape Girardeau City Council for the first time Monday night.

"This (proposal) represents a long-term change," Wilferth told council members.

"There have been a lot of short-term efforts, some fruitful, some not, made for the future of south-side residents (and) this planned development for the south side has the long term in mind and represents hope for the next generation.

"There are some really bright spots happening in South Cape but they are fewer and farther between than they are in the rest of our community."

The estimated $20 million project would develop 16 acres of unoccupied land in South Cape Girardeau into an urban farm with several amenities, including a farmers market, restaurant, health clinic, early-years child care, affordable housing, a police substation and more. South Side Farms will be on land the Saint Francis foundation has already secured at the intersection of Highway 74 and South West End Boulevard.

Why would a health care system want to build an urban farm? Because all the issues South Side Farms aims to address — education, safety, food, housing — are the social determinants of health, Wilferth explained.

"Keeping people healthy, keeping them out of the hospital — that's health care," Wilferth said. "Treating you while you're sick? That's a lagging indicator. Let's keep people healthy. Let's keep them out of the hospital."

A key aspect of the project was listening and involving community members, according to Wyky Jean, director of development and diversity for Saint Francis Healthcare System.

"I have the privilege of speaking to our community about what their needs are, what obstacles are they encountering and also what their hopes are in a sense of what would it take to get that strong sense of pride back into our community," Jean said. "One belief Jimmy and I stand on is that we won't do anything we aren't invited to."

Conversations were held with community leaders such as pastor Bill Bird of Greater Dimension Ministries.

One need Bird and Wilferth identified was food access.

The farm in South Side Farms

South Cape Girardeau comprises what the U.S. The Department of Agriculture defines as a "food desert," or an area where a substantial number of residents have little access to healthy and affordable foods.

"You have to cross over (Highway) 74 and go over to William Street in order to get some food," Bird said. "For those who are on the south side, they may not have transportation. You have to go a good distance just to get milk or some food."

Six acres of South Side Farms' 16-acre facility have been set aside to make way for a community farm.

The farm will have goats, chickens, bees, fruits, vegetables and more, Wilferth said. Aquaponic and hydroponic farming practices will be used. A greenhouse will grow crops throughout the year to supply food during cold months.

A restaurant and farmers market will also be on site where fresh, affordable foods will be sold, Wilferth said. He estimated the farm will eventually provide 30 to 35 jobs for south-side residents.

Wilferth modeled the farm after other urban farms he visited in St. Louis, Denver and Kansas City, Missouri, among others. Bonton Farms in Dallas sparked major inspiration in the early planning stages of South Side Farms. Wilferth spoke with, visited and eventually hired leaders of Bonton Farms to visit South Cape Girardeau and help produce a feasibility study about how to operate an urban farm in the area.

Wilferth said Bird was one of the first people to whom he unveiled the idea for South Side Farms. He showed him Bonton Farms as an example.

"When he brought it, I was like, 'Man, I don't know. That's kind of different,'" Bird said. "When I looked at it and saw it for myself, I saw the opportunity to help build the community."

Education and housing

Wilferth said he heard from single mothers in South Cape Girardeau a desire for home ownership. But in order to own a home, mothers have to have a good job, Wilferth explained, and in order for mothers to have a good job, they need access to child care so they can go to work.

So, an early-years child care center for children ages zero to 3 years was built into South Side Farms' proposal.

The Saint Francis foundation has also partnered with the Cape Girardeau School District for a career and technology center.

Wilferth said Junior Achievement, a career readiness and financial literacy not-for-profit, has agreed to operate a location on South Side Farms to serve the entire Southeast Missouri region.

Along with food and education, Wilferth said housing was another big box to check when determining what South Side Farms should include.

"Home ownership is key because 82% of south side is rental," Wilferth said. "Although there are some great success stories, and I've met some residents on the south side who have owned their own homes for generations and are doing well, the majority of the population down [in] the south side is not."

For Jean, the housing opportunities South Side Farms may bring is what he looks forward to most.

The facility for South Side Farms will include transitional housing for the unhoused. Forty-two single- and multifamily units will be built with a rent-to-own model where renters pay affordable rent and have the option to buy their home, less the rent they've paid.

"When people begin to build equity for themselves, that will advance our families for generations to come," Jean said.

Community collaboration

Cantrell Andrews grew up in South Cape Girardeau. Stories of the area in the news painted it as a war zone, he said, and never seemed to match what his neighborhood was actually like.

Andrews, co-founder of Honorable Young Men Club, sees South Cape Girardeau as a close-knit community where families care about each other and look after one another.

"Yes, it is a rough area, but when you look at the people and the conditions they live in, what other choice do they have?" Andrews asked. "How do we expect the community to thrive when resources are not being put in? And if they are put in, they don't stay."

During the planning of South Side Farms, Andrews helped relay the wants and needs of South Cape Girardeau community members to Wilferth.

Ultimately, what people in South Cape Girardeau look for most in development is inclusion, according to Andrews.

"A lot of times, things are presented on behalf of south side Cape but no one who lives in that area or even in that ward has any seat at the table to voice their opinions about what's going on," Andrews said.

Wilferth said he has spoken with residents, held focus groups and Q&As to gauge what the needs of residents are.

The project has a range of community partners, including Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri, East Missouri Action Agency, Cape Girardeau School District and the City of Cape Girardeau.

Some South Cape Girardeau residents have also expressed they'd like to invest in the project as well, according to Wilferth.

Wilferth said the Saint Francis foundation received private donations to acquire the land for South Side Farms

Cape Girardeau City Council will have the second and third readings of the South Side Farms proposal Nov. 15. If approved, the earliest date for site work to begin is Nov. 16, Wilferth said.

When asked why he wanted to do the project, Wilferth used a metaphor of water. When water levels climb, all ships rise, he said.

"If we help our brothers and sisters on the South Side ... our whole community gets better," Wilferth said.