My name is Fane Earl and I am serving as the LISC AmeriCorps member at Flanner House of Indianapolis.
Being an AmeriCorps member has given me the opportunity to serve and assist my community through a local organization. I’m passionate about supporting residents and neighbors to address food insecurity by providing education and resources to grow food and medicinal plants. For me, food access and racial equity are the aspects of community development that interest me the most because these are issues that impacted me. These topics hit close to home for me as I dealt with these issues growing up. Food, respect, and fulfilling opportunities are human rights that should be provided equitably to all, despite the challenges for minority communities. It’s important to me to keep these in mind in all work I do.
Partnership, trust and collective impact provide the infrastructure to positively affect the advancement of all people and places. My current role as an AmeriCorps member at Flanner House supports this value by teaching accessibility within urban agriculture, and provides affordable, clean, and nutritious food to families. This helps fill the gap created by food deserts in the city and also supports the health of these families by making a variety of fresh food accessible.
I’m interested in pursuing an education in ethnobotany after this program, so I can better utilize the herbalism and agricultural knowledge I continue to learn to help provide native, clean, and multifunctional plants to the community, while respecting the diverse cultures the knowledge comes from. I’m committed to sharing what I learn to empower people to connect with their food and the natural gifts of our land, which are often available in abundance. Through my service, I am hoping to attain more leadership-based skills and learn how to both connect and empower communities. This has been an amazing and validating experience. It’s healing to know that I can make a difference.
- Fane Earl, AmeriCorps Service Member for Flanner House of Indianapolis