Meet Us

Shalom Farms is a nonprofit community farm project with the overarching goal of increasing food security in the Richmond region, particularly in low-income urban neighborhoods. Together we grow healthy food, families, and friends.

Dominic Barrett

Dominic Gibbons Barrett came to United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond and Shalom Farms as Director in March of 2010. He was drawn to UMUMR by his lifelong passion for social justice, a desire to find sustainable ways to empower communities, and an obsession with all things food. He came to UMUMR from Palmetto Project in Charleston, SC were he coordinated their statewide Youth, Families and Schools Programs. Prior to that he worked in Washington for Ashoka’s Youth Venture, helping youth 12-20 start their own social ventures. He is a native of Lynchburg, VA and a graduate of Elon University where he was an Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow. Outside of work he can be found on a basketball court or in a thrift store, usually with either his younger brother Zachary or his “Little Brother” Devonte.

Steve Miles

Steve Miles is the Farm Manager and Volunteer Coordinator for Shalom Farms. He has over ten years of horticultural experience with his primary focus being on sustainable methods of farming both in greenhouses and in the field. With a Masters of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School, he is especially passionate about the theological connections between food and faith, and he cannot imagine a job that more fully encompasses his interests. Steve and his wife Amanda have two boys, Eden and Asher, who love to dig in the dirt as much as he does. When he’s not on the farm, Steve enjoys spending time with his family, playing music that Amanda doesn’t really like, reading “good” books, and surfing the fickle waves of his beloved Outer Banks.

Heather Smith

Heather is our fall 2012 Shalom Farms intern. An occupational therapist by profession, she comes to us from Philadelphia, PA where she has lived, worked, and developed a strong interest in farming and food justice. She brings to us her energy, passion, and knowledge from years of experiences working in health care, and from her travels and volunteer work in Africa, India, and Haiti. Driven by a desire to contribute to the solution to world hunger, she is dedicated to learn the hard work of growing food in a sustainable way, as well as the inner workings of non-profit management.  She and her partner aspire to start a non-profit farm which uses farming as a vehicle toward food security, wellness, and social justice. Additional interests include riding her motorcycle, suffering through a Buffalo Bills football season, and zymurgy.