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Bay County jail sees savings by making inmates grow their own food

Inmates tend to their vegetable gardens
Bay County
Inmates tend to their vegetable gardens

By Sascha Cordner

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-972493.mp3

Tallahassee, FL – The Bay County Jail's warden says the jail is reaping huge rewards in savings on the monthly jail food budget. As Sascha Cordner reports, it's all thanks to the success of two gardens located on the grounds of the facility.

One garden covers about two acres and the other, about one-and-a-half. Bay County Sheriff's Office Spokeswoman Ruth Corley says inmates help with the planting and the harvesting, producing more than five-thousand pounds of vegetables during the month of May.

"The warden [Rick Anglin] estimates, at this point, he doesn't have an exact cost. Give us a couple of months and we will have figured out how much percentage wise we're saving the county. But, right now, he does assure me that it's up to thousands of dollars on the monthly food budget."

Corley says the inmates normally have a bagged lunch during the day, and the vegetables are only served during dinner. The vegetables include, corn, onions, and zucchini.