NRCM reports on Extension’s gardening outreach program with Maine State Prison

Natural Resources Council of Maine reported on the gardening outreach program partnership between the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine State Prison. Selected inmates at the prison tend a vegetable garden on the grounds, and the produce is used in the prison’s kitchen or donated to local food banks, NRCM reports. The inmates gain marketable skills, therapeutic benefits and experience working in a team toward a common goal, while the prison saves money by growing food on its own grounds. The program also “involves inmates in helping to reduce climate pollution by localizing a piece of Maine’s food system,” according to the article. The article linked to a UMaine video about the program.