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MORE THAN A FARM!
Over a decade ago, a group of South Dallas residents, within the community known as Bonton, gathered to strategize a plan to combat many of the barriers facing their community. Out of their desire to bring change to their neighborhood, Bonton Farms was born.
With over 40 acres of farmland and vegetation, 5 social enterprises (Farm, Market Cafe, Coffee House, Farmers Market, and Preservatory), and a staff of over 50 people, we have successfully designed a robust system for helping our community, from within our community. Bonton Farms aims to transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity, laying a foundation where change yields health, wholeness & opportunity as the norm.
We believe that our community can change from within, driven by our own people, using our own hands. With every harvest and neighbor served, we move closer to our goal of a healthy, thriving community!
PLANTING SEEDS OF CHANGE...CULTIVATING GROWTH!
At Bonton Farms, food became a catalyst for community change. We realize the parallels between soil, seed, plants and human life are intricately linked. Just like seeds, people are also born with great potential and require the right nutrients to grow and thrive. Our goal is to impact the nutrients of our community, at the root level, to ensure our neighbors have access to everything needed to live their best, healthiest lives.
While many nonprofits work to solve one issue, we focus on place‐based interventions to build community capacity for long‐term change. As the ecosystem of community resources improves, our neighbors in Bonton use these resources to build successful, self‐sufficient lives, ultimately interrupting the impact of decades of disenfranchisement. We believe in providing tangible solutions and well-defined pathways to self-sufficient flourishing lives.
Our Seedtime & Harvest Apprenticeship Program provides pathways to employment and sustainable income to residents in our community. This program is self-paced with a guided curriculum focused on the seven human essentials: Transportation, Education, Access to Fair Credit, Community, Health & Wellness, Economic Stability, and Safe & Affordable Housing. Apprentices work, learn, and grow at Bonton Farms then graduate and transition to full-time employment with one of our workforce partners. In addition, some move on to launch their own businesses. For the first time in decades, Bonton has the beginnings of a thriving business infrastructure in which money stays within our community and builds neighborhood wealth!
Seedtime & Harvest Apprenticeship Graduation, May 2024;
100% of our graduates transitioned to full-time employment!
Our mission is to transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity, laying a foundation where change yields health, wholeness and opportunity as the norm.
At Bonton Farms, diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to who we are. Our unwavering commitment to these values permeates the entirety of our work and how we serve. We believe that a diversity of experiences and perspectives cultivates innovation and allows us to more effectively achieve our mission.
The Bonton Farms leadership team, the Board of Directors, and staff have adopted this vision and are committed to the following actions:
- Further diversifying board members
- Further diversifying senior staff, when and where applicable
- Continued staff training to raise awareness, celebrate our differences and practice including diverse perspectives throughout all areas our work
Organization name
Bonton Farms
Causes
Community Improvement
Operating Budget
$3,000,000 - $9,999,999
Counties Served
Dallas
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American
BIPOC Leadership
Executive Director/CEO
Address
2612 Valentine St