Two and a half years ago Cris L., 54, was cruising around the island of Alameda, California when a voice called out to him.
Eva, a manager of the Bay Area Makerfarm, an outdoor workspace and urban farm, encouraged Cris to explore the space. After a year and a half of volunteering, interest turned to passion when Cris became the Animal Care Manager.
He “fell in love at first sight” as he had never seen chickens, ducks and pigs up close before despite being raised in the Midwest. “It became home away from home where I could leave the real world and the troubles of my city life.”
As a disabled veteran coping with depression, anxiety and PTSD, Cris fought to move forward, turning to tending to the animals and understanding their idiosyncrasies.
Cris’ introduction to the Makerfarm was years in the making. Three days after he graduated high school in 1987, Cris shipped off to join the army as a laboratory specialist and medic for forward combat support.
Things were going well until a herniated hamstring resulted in complications involving a blown out nerve and pinched artery in his leg making activity longer than 30 minutes and balancing difficult. Cris was discharged in 1995.
In 2000 an apartment fire in Oakland left Cris, his wife and four kids without a home. A slew of moves from Florida, to Minnesota, and eventually back to the Bay Area, led the family to the Alameda Point Collaborative where they secured housing in 2008.
The collaborative offers permanent housing and employment for individuals and families to gain stability while planning for the future.
After 15 years on the island with his children now grown adults, Cris seeks spaces “to find peace”. This often occurs on the home’s back patio under a tree planted when the family first moved in. While serene and lush with foliage, the Makerfarm is where Cris shines.