HERO

Produce with Promise

The HTH Farm Market benefits Central Ohioans with substance use disorders

By Linda Lee Baird Photography by Rachel Joy Barehl

Summer is the season of farmers markets. Almost any day of the week, all across town, you can find an abundance of fresh produce so delicious that you’ll be happy to live in the heartland where it’s grown. Though all of these markets both support farmers and stock our kitchens, the HTH Farm Market in Linworth goes even further, with proceeds benefiting a 24-month residential substance abuse program called Hope Thru Housing.

While farmers markets have a reputation as summer events, HTH Farm Market actually got its start in the winter as a Christmas tree farm, when Hope Thru Housing founder and President Dennis Kerr happened to drive by a tree lot on Route 161. Interested in a business that could provide revenue for the nonprofit and job opportunities for Hope Thru Housing residents, Kerr pulled in to talk to the owner and found him ready and willing to turn over the lease of the business.

Thrilled by the success of the first season, and undeterred when the tree lot was sold to make way for a new apartment complex, Kerr had the opportunity in 2012 to move to a permanent location across the street. He built the business from the ground up—literally. Through the job training program Hope Thru Housing offers its residents, members of the program constructed the market from foundation to rooftop. Today, HTH Farm Market operates nine months out of the year, beginning with early spring produce in April and culminating in the popular winter Christmas tree sale.

Though the heavily trafficked location is helpful in bringing shoppers into HTH Farm Market, it’s the quality of product that keeps them coming back. “Produce is what really pulls people in,” Kerr said. In early spring, Kerr sells fresh tomatoes from Florida and Tennessee until the ones on local vines are ripe and ready. Once Ohio hits peak season, the market will be stocked with fruits, vegetables and greens grown in the state, as well as locally produced baked goods and pantry staples such as pasta and olive oil.

To get the freshest possible items on shelves, Kerr partners with farmers in Ohio’s Amish Country. “Most of the produce comes in on horse and wagon,” he said, adding that HTH Farm Market shoppers will often find produce “picked that morning.” At the height of the season, Kerr will drive to

Dennis Kerr

Fredericktown multiple times a week to visit Amish auctions, where sellers offer everything from corn and squash to cantaloupe and strawberries to fresh cheeses and baked goods.

During an early-season visit to the market in April, my eyes wandered across granola, whole chickens, handmade ravioli, local honey and Mason jars filled attractively with dried chicken soup ingredients—an upscale take on instant soups. I selected some tomatoes that looked better than anything I’d seen at the grocery store all winter. And though I tried, I couldn’t resist the Amish baked goods. I chose a cherry pull-apart from Fredericktown’s Simply Sweet Bakery, a treat that wove together the best parts of cinnamon rolls and cherry pie. My family and I happily ate it for breakfast the following morning.

The Hope Thru Housing program supported by the market is modeled after a program in North Carolina that Kerr attended years ago to address his dependency on drugs and alcohol. Hope Thru Housing helps residents overcome addiction in a supportive environment. “The guys are in our housing while they’re in the program,” Kerr said. “We provide everything they need, and it’s at no cost to them.”

While most residential treatment programs run for a period of months at most, Hope Thru Housing gives participants a stable place to live, a supportive community, and job training over the course of two full years. This allows them time to adopt new habits that stick when they complete the program. Serving eight to 10 men at a time since its founding in April 2011, Hope Thru Housing is preparing to start its first women’s program this spring. About 75% of the program’s funding needs are met through its vocational programs, including the market, HTH Lawncare, construction projects and the HTH online auction.

To expand the market’s reach, Kerr added a mobile farm market to the HTH fleet in 2018. The mobile market makes regular stops at office buildings, as well as senior residential facilities like First Community Village, whose residents might not otherwise have easy access to fresh produce. After last season was limited by COVID-19, Kerr says the mobile market will return this summer.

Whether you visit the farm market or mobile market, Kerr said you can expect quality. “It doesn’t get much fresher than the backyard garden.”

HTH Farm Market is located at 2340 W. Dublin-Granville Road. Visit farmersmarketcolumbus.com to learn more about the market, and hthohio.org to learn about the Hope Thru Housing residential treatment program.

Linda Lee Baird is a Columbus-based freelance writer and educator. Follow her adventures in food, writing and parenting on Instagram at ms_lindalee and at lindaleebaird.com.