David McMahon
About David McMahon
David McMahon is the Co-Executive Director of Dismas House.Letter in support of the Many Hands Sustainability Center
September 11th, 2008
Dear Trustees of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation:
Dismas House has been fortunate to partner with Many Hands Farm, and is supportive of the Many Hands Sustainability Center. In Spring 2007, former prisoner residents of our Almost Home Program began working weekly on the Many Hands Farm. This mutually beneficial partnership has proven therapeutic to our residents, most of whom have struggled with chronic homelessness, addiction, and life trauma issues that greatly impede the successful and holistic reentry to community that is so vital to the health of our communities. The farm environment, far from the stress of the city, combined with agricultural and animal stewardship responsibilities have contributed to our program, adding a new dimension to our morning-to-night prisoner reentry and treatment programs.
Resident graduates of our programs have secured employment in the farming sector, some residents at Many Hands Farm, and the partnership with Many Hands has fostered a new project that Dismas anticipates launching in 2008, an organic farm/residential treatment program for returning former prisoners. On a large part, based on our experience with Many Hands, Dismas plans to open a 12-15 bed residential program and farm in western Worcester County to ensure a positive and healthy return for additional former prisoners in central Massachusetts. We anticipate that Many Hands will play a key development role for the farm project and will serve as a training academy of sorts for future farmer graduates from the Dismas farm. We are currently discussing this partnership and exploring the development of the institute.
In short, Many Hands Farm has enriched the lives of our residents, all of whom can be categorized as below the poverty level, and all of whom have concomitant struggles with addiction and life skills issues. As part of our mission for reconciliation of former prisoners and the community, Many Hands has become an integral and important partner in our work.
Sincerely,
David McMahon