THISTLE FARMS CRAIG AMMON
Thistle Farms was buzzing on a recent Wednesday morning, as dozens of residents, staff, and visitors made their way to ‘the Circle,’ for what many in attendance cherish as the highlight of their week. Joyous greetings and embraces fill the room as current residents and graduates of the Magdalene Program—all survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction—make their way to the Circle to share their stories. Thistle Farms funds the Magdalene Program, a two-year residential community offering healing and rehabilitation to these women. Magdalene can house up to 28 residents at a time, providing free housing, healthcare, counseling, and of course employment with Thistle Farms. Residents stay in the program and work at Thistle Farms for two years, but many graduates continue to work alongside them, making their wonderful bath, body, and home products, or serving customers in beautiful Thistle Farms Café. It is an amazing mission that is literally saving women’s lives.
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In the center of the Circle burns the candle that a member of the Thistle Farms community lights each day as a powerful symbol of sanctuary, love, and hope. As we go around the Circle, several women gesture toward it and express gratitude that this candle burns for all of their Magdalene sisters, as well as for the women who have not yet found their way here. They offer comfort and encouragement to those who are struggling. They applaud and cheer for those celebrating milestones, like sobriety anniversaries, reunions with families, a new job, or a new home. With the help of the Magdalene program and Thistle Farms, these survivers are recovering and building beautiful lives for themselves. And now they return to the Circle again and again to share their stories and words of wisdom like these with each other: “I am grateful that God is making a ministry of my mess.” “I’ve been struggling these last few weeks, but I know my sisters are here and they’re lifting me up.” “No matter where life takes you, remember that God’s love is there. And love heals.” Many in the Circle express gratitude for each other, for their founder Becca Stevens, and their CEO, Hal Cato. One resident closed her remarks saying, “We all know how much Hal has done for Thistle Farms, but I want to say that nobody has ever fought so hard for me personally as Hal Cato has.” Cato says it’s a privilege to serve these women in this way. “Earning the trust and respect of women who have only known men who were there to buy, sell, or abuse them is a tremendous honor,” says Cato. “I don’t take it for granted for a single moment. I think my leadership mantra has served me well in this regard: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Thistle Farms was founded in 2001, and by the time Cato took the reigns as CEO in September 2015, the organization had expanded to the point it was limited by its space. Cato led major changes that would enable Thistle Farms to attract a growing customer base and continue to thrive.
SEPTEMBER 2019
By 2017, they had completed the beautiful renovation of the Café, they had moved into a huge facility that allows them to scale production of their bath and body products, and they re-branded those products with a new ‘upscale’ look to reflect their uncompromising quality. And all those changes have been worth it, as Thistle Farms continues to grow. Cato says, “I believe mission only gets a social enterprise so far. Quality products and/or a great experience have to be immediately in step behind it. If you combine the two together, there is no limit to what is possible. That was my goal—create a product and an environment where mission and quality were equally and beautifully yoked together. Sales have doubled since then and net income has improved 700%. And I know we’re just getting started.” Cato is beyond passionate about the mission of the Magdalene program, and to
