DALLAS — It is more than just a farm. For Lanekka Wright, Bonton Farms is a life changer.
“What I felt when I got here is the reason why I can’t leave this place,” said Wright, Bonton Farms Ambassador.
She has been going on seven years strong working at the farm, but her start was fragile. In 2014, Wright’s 16-year-old son was shot and killed.
“I was in a space of need. I had just lost my son. I didn’t have a job. I was staying in a room,” said Wright.
That's when she turned to Bonton Farms, the South Dallas nonprofit addressing community inequities such as food insecurity, transportation, housing, and health.
Wright joined their Workforce Development Apprenticeship program.
“I mean I worked my way up from a farm hand to a farm ambassador,” said Wright. “I’m a certified master gardener with two certifications.”
It is an opportunity Bonton Farms can now provide to more residents. Billionaire philanthropist and Amazon co-founder, MacKenzie Scott, donated about $640M to nonprofits across the country through Yield Giving. Out of nearly 6,000 applicants, Bonton Farms is one of 361 organizations to receive a grant totaling $2 million.
“It was more than what we even asked for, which was probably the biggest shock. They doubled our gift,” said Gabe Madison, Bonton Farms President. “When you look at the amount of change that needs to happen, we need more MacKenzie Scotts. We know everybody can’t give in that way, but we need more people to come alongside and help us do this transformational work.”
Madison said the grant will help expand health and wellness initiatives and their workforce development program which reached capacity.
“Just because you’re born in a zip code, it should not determine the outcome of your life,” said Madison. “We really wanted to increase our workforce development apprenticeship program that definitely needs funding because we want to be able to equitably pay those that are in the apprenticeship as well as develop them.”
It is a program that gave Wright purpose.
“Bonton has a warehouse full of blessings. We’re just taking the boxes off the shelf, and every box we open is a different blessing,” said Wright.
Bonton Farms is one of four local nonprofits to receive MacKenzie Scott’s grant.
The Prison Entrepreneurship Program ($2 million), Epilepsy Foundation of Texas ($2 million) and Dallas Afterschool ($1 million) were awarded grants as well.