A $15,000 grant from United Way of Summit & Medina last year to Medina’s Hope Recovery Community has funded the purchase and construction of a hoop house, now ready for action at the organization’s Hope Recovery Farm in Medina. The Recovery Farm, which provides housing and workforce development and training for those in recovery, hopes to use the hoop house to provide more free, locally-grown produce for those in need in Medina County.
A hoop house is a covered structure that protects plants from weather and pests, allowing crops to be grown outside the regular growing season. This year, the 17-acre farm grew more than 4,000 pounds of produce, all distributed to residents in need. Next year, they want to go bigger. Stefanie Robinson, executive director of the Hope Recovery community, said she hopes that, by making it easier to grow crops from seeds and start earlier in the year, the 2,500-square-foot hoop house will help boost the Recovery Farm’s output.
“Everything is part of a learning process,” says Robinson, who says the farm and its residents have had to overcome challenges in growing the farm. “They’re learning to deal with each other, they’re learning to deal with animals, and all of those things are life skills.”
Funding the hoop house is just one aspect of the partnership with United Way of Summit & Medina. United Way works with the Hope Recovery Community to provide free financial counseling to those in recovery. As one of its Bold Goals for 2028, United Way is working to financially empower 2,500 Medina County residents.
United Way of Summit & Medina directly serves people in need in the local community, connecting residents to resources to meet their basic needs and working with them to build fulfilling, healthy lives. To learn more, or to make a donation, visit uwsummitmedina.org
“So many people say to me, do you have a desire to change the world?” says Robinson. “I’ve never had a desire to change the world. I’ve had a desire to change my world.” She encourages others to support change within their own communities. “Right in our own community, there are people who don’t have their basic needs yet, who are struggling with housing, who are struggling with mental health, who are struggling with Substance Use Disorders. A little bit does go a long way.”