By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
September 23, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Have some home repairs that you’ve been putting off because of lack of funds or resources?

Well, Jerusalem Farms wants to remind you that they’re here to help.

Located in the Northeast, the mission of Jerusalem Farms is to make themselves available to the needs of their community by addressing home repair needs and coordinating volunteers for low income families. They also have led the Pendleton Heights Curbside Compost Program, a weekly curbside food scrap collection program to create compost. Recently, they started a tool lending library that anybody can use for a small fee. They also welcome tool donations to be used for the library.

Jordan Schiele, project director for Jerusalem Farms, said they’re pushing to have a greater presence in the Northeast neighborhoods. He said the organization determined they can make a bigger impact focusing on one specific area, not spreading themselves thinner then they already are throughout the city.

“We’re trying to find ways to build communities,” Schiele said. “I think it takes a community effort to do that.”

The organization works directly with homeowners, not renters. Schiele added they don’t advertise, depending on word-of-mouth to spread their message. And through word-of-mouth, they’ve been able to work on about 40 projects so far this year, ranging from bathroom remodeling to painting, all with the help of just volunteers.

“If we had more local residents who wanted to help, we’d be able to accomplish more in our neighborhoods, as well,” Schiele said, adding they typically work Monday – Friday, but can be accommodating if groups want to volunteer on the weekends. “If, say, a neighborhood association wants to get organized and work on one house a month, we have the tools, resources and funding to do all that. There’s all these difference ways we can go about helping people.”

From his experience, Schiele said people who’ve requested their help usually need help with either labor or tools.

“We need to identify the needs of homeowners in the neighborhoods (the library is a simple fix) and with our program, we work with people’s budget,” Schiele said.

If you know residents who need help with repairs of their home due to age, disability or income limitations, contact Jerusalem Farms. If you’d like to learn more about volunteering or sign-up for the program, contact Jerusalem Farms at community@jerusalemfarm.org or 816-421-1855. For more information, visit their website www.jerusalemfarm.org.