Foundry Farm

Story by Seth Terrell Photos by David Moore

Sixteen years ago, Eddie Wilson had a realization: he was tired of fighting, tired of the chaos that had taken over in his world. He had battled cocaine and alcohol addictions and knew his life had become unmanageable. Now, as the old journey came to its unraveling point, a new journey was about to begin.

Eddie committed himself to recovery and found the place that would give him a new lease on life – along with a calling to help other young men whose dead-end journeys had led them to rock bottom. The place was the Foundry, a ministry begun in Bessemer by Sam Reynolds who, in 1971, after realizing there were few resources for people living in homelessness and addiction, started reaching out to folks that needed help to recover from addiction and to rebuild their lives.

When Eddie graduated from the program in 2006, he devoted himself not only to his own recovery but went in search of the deeper purpose that had led him to the Foundry farm just outside of Holly Pond where he is now the director.

“The Foundry has taught me that life is about my calling,” Eddie says.

He sits at his desk at the Foundry farm welcome center where, though 16 years clean and sober, he has become a jack of all trades – a mentor, a manager, a tractor driver, a gardener, a farmer and a friend to so many men who come through the Foundry doors.

Eddie has served as director since 2013. Originally from Hartselle, he married his wife Ellen on his 50th birthday and has dedicated his life to serving those men in whom he often sees himself.

“We do recover,” he says, emphasizing that first-person plural – we – “and it’s a process.”

As Eddie is often reminded, addiction is no respecter of individuals or status. The Foundry accepts men from all walks of life: doctors, lawyers, men who’ve never had a job, and others who are barely out of high school.

“I get to see men come, and a few months later they see their purpose,” he says. “And that is truly the most rewarding part of the recovery program.”

Outside Eddie’s office window, the lazy morning sun illuminates the property, glancing on a tranquil pond and spanning over the green expanse of gentle sloping hills.

“We can’t do anything we do without love,” he says. “I always remind the guys that they have a calling, not just a job.”

The Foundry receives men in recovery, serving a population who are at highrisk for overdose, Hepatitis C, HIV and incarceration. Their education levels vary and many have struggled or are struggling with homelessness, coming from low- and moderate-income households, lacking job skills.

According to its mission, the Foundry offers such men a long-term approach to recovery and addresses each individual’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs to achieve permanent,

Days here are filled with recovery efforts for men, work, preparation for gainful employment and exposure to the Word

Spread across nearly 60 acres in Holly Pond, the Foundry Farm offers a serene setting for not-so-easy efforts of men who – usually along with their families – deal with drug and alcohol addiction. Leading the effort is Eddie Wilson, above. For participating men, the five components to the “Foundry Way” are: one-on-one counseling services through their usually year-long recovery process; employment readiness; case-management, including dental and medical care; transitional housing for those who do well in the program; and a strong curriculum that includes recovery classes and Bible study. Photo at top provided, photo above by Seth Terrell.

transformational change. It fosters further transformation among the men’s families and their communities, making their relationships healthier and teaching them how to become contributing citizens, all while exploring their individual calling.

Mid-January finds the Foundry at full capacity with 60 men on campus in the program. They wake up around 5:45 every morning and fill their days with work, classes and preparation for gainful employment. Some work at the Foundry thrift store, others clean and cook for the program, and others work to take care of the nearly 60 acres of property that includes a half-acre garden and a poultry house where 571 hens are busy laying eggs.

Four to six men are usually assigned to a particular job or task and rotate, often, according to each one’s particular skill set or interests.

David Ozment joins Eddie on this chilly winter morning. Dave is one of a host of volunteers who generously give their time and resources to help the men who, through the ‘Foundry Way,’ become the people, the fathers and husbands and friends that they were meant to become.

“When guys realize they can’t do it

Sean, upper left, of Huntsville uses a small flashlight to grade each egg at the layer house. Derek, above, who’s from Baldwin County, says the chickens are more like pets than farm stock. David Ozment, left – with over 30 years in the business and with state poultry organizations and companies – was the key in last year’s addition of the hen house. About half of them are eaten at Foundry facilities in the state, some are given away, others sold for $3 a dozen at the Foundry Thrift Store in Cullman and Jack’s Foodland in Eva.

alone,” David says, “that’s when you start to see a real difference.”

The Foundry thrives on support such as Dave’s. At least four of the full-time staff live on campus and help provide 24/7 care and accountability.

Incoming members of the program arrive to a brotherhood of men who are going through the same things.

“I tell these guys, ‘I have felt what you’re feeling. I know what you’re going through,’” Eddie says.

Men are able to visit with their families each Sunday, a time where they can fellowship and find support from those who are rooting for their success. Soon there will be a new chapel that will provide room for families to come join the men for worship.

Few families in the Cullman area are untouched by the pandemic of drug and alcohol addiction. Such close connection and concern are what drive many volunteers to the Foundry.

“Many of us [volunteers and donors] talk about how we know someone, often in our families, who have dealt with addiction and we want to help,” David says.

His wheelhouse here are the egg-laying chickens, having worked over 30 years in the Alabama poultry industry. Through the Foundry vision, David helped spark a plan for a laying house on the farm property.

Poultry Supply, Walker Brothers, Ag Corps South and at least a dozen other businesses have helped contribute supplies, funds and materials toward the farming effort.

Veterinarians from Auburn University help keep the hens healthy and productive, and county agents offer their expertise as well.

“Volunteers do what they do,” Eddie says, “because they love to help.”

As Eddie and David leave the office and trek out into the cold day, the farm, though quiet, teems with a certain positive energy.

Eddie’s easy way with men here has a distinct familial touch. He jokes and shakes hands and encourages men along the way. When we arrive at the hen house, an open-air, cage-free laying house, Derek and Sean are busy gathering eggs among a sea of happy, healthy, High-Line Brown hens.

Brad, who has just begun his journey in the Foundry program, skillfully uses a flashlight to grade the eggs. Derek, who seems to be thriving in his progress, admits that having such a structure and routine has greatly aided his recovery.

“The hens keep a better schedule and routine than people do,” he laughs. “They’ve taught me a lot of about structure. They are what helps me get out of bed every morning.”

Through David’s insight, the men have learned how to not only gather eggs, but also how to take care of the hens. Derek holds a gentle brown hen up to the streaming sunlight, showing the markers he checks on a daily basis for egg readiness or even illness.

“Caring for the birds really gives us a strong sense of responsibility,” Sean says, coddling a hen as she pecks softly at his hands. “It just makes me happy to come here and make [the hens] happy.” David agrees. “It’s a sense of satisfaction for these men, too,” he says. “Satisfaction of a job well done.”

The Foundry consumes about half of the eggs and produce the hen houses and garden provide. The remaining yield is sent to local farmers markets or other Foundry programs. Eggs and produce are often donated to local ministries and

Lance, top left, who has a degree in business management, and Beau, an electrician, relax before supper in the common room in the dormitory. Aaron, who hails from the St. Louis area, keeps a Cardinals pillow at his bunk. Meanwhile, Ryley and Cayde, a returnee, soak up some serenity on the dorm’s back porch.

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Chris, who works in the kitchen at the Foundry comes from Birmingham, where he says there’s “too much going on” to hope for recovery. Efforts to feed the 55 participants there this day are eased by the help of donors, such as Panera restaurant in Cullman, which donates bread to the program. What hinders serving so many people is the small size of the kitchen. Funds are being raised for new cooking facilities at the Foundry, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021.

food banks or sold in the thrift store, while others make their way to Foodland in Eva or restaurants such as All Steak, Urban Cookhouse (see related story on page 32) and the Holly Pond Café.

The happy hens, thriving under the care of the men in the program, produced 15,448 eggs in December alone.

“We pride ourselves on working with local people and buying and selling local,” Eddie says. “And all funds go back into the investment of men in the program.”

To the south of the hen house, the garden lies beneath a thin layer of January frost, sleeping for now, but in a few months it will once again sprout with life. Soon a hoop house will be erected to extend the growing season.

Under the volunteer guidance of Dave and Travis Kress, an agriculture instructor at Wallace State Community College (see related story on page 65), the garden, much like the hen house has proven to be a place where men reconnect with themselves and with the land.

“We had the great garden we had this year because our guys took ownership,” Eddie says.

Mason, another young man in the program, wanted to be assigned to the garden to honor his grandmother, who always had a garden.

“The garden is a blessing,” says Mason. “It has all the blessings you need in life. You learn to care for things that will always provide for you and get a chance to have peace … I best understood this while watching the crops grow – a result of time and hard work.”

Wendell Berry, the famous farmer and poet, once said, “The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and, after all, our most pleasing responsibility.”

The connection with the land is mirrored in connection with other people. Recovery is a difficult and fulfilling journey wherein people who often feel so disconnected from themselves and from those they love, can again find themselves and their purposes.

At the Foundry, the garden and the farm are more than hobbies, they are portals to new journeys, powerful metaphors for what downcast men can become. Hard work gives way to commitment; stewardship of crops and creatures teaches compassion, empathy and responsibility.

And so a brotherhood is strengthened as lives are changed. One season, one early sunrise, one egg and one seed at a time.