“You think of all the things you can’t replace,” said the Rev. Mary Laymon as she looked at the shell of her home, which was once a hub for helping others, before a fire decimated the structure on Dec. 24.
“But, I’ve been a pastor for 25 years, and so I look at that and I also see hope.”
Laymon and her husband Greg York turned their Mt. Healthy home and the surrounding land into the nonprofit Tikkun Farm in 2015. The farm offers a variety of programs, including an on-site food pantry, job training programs and healing arts programs.
The farm, its name derived from Tikkun Olam, a Hebrew phrase meaning “repair the world," is all about giving to those in need, but after the fire caused so much damage to their three-story farmhouse, these owners are now also trying to move forward from their own devastating loss.
More:A city farm, created to help repair the world, sows seeds of hope and offers food to go
The trouble began in the early hours of Christmas Eve day when the fire broke out in the main house, where Laymon lives with York and two other housemates. Laymon said she woke up the night of the fire and saw kindling ablaze next to the fireplace. Her housemates heard her yelling, and the four of them evacuated immediately to reach safety outside.
