SUN JOURNAL • September 5, 2020
A successful harvest is reason enough for Liberation Farms to celebrate, but a wildly successful crowdfunding campaign that will help the community farming program purchase a 104-acre farm in Wales will make the fruits of their labor seem extra sweet for central Maine Somali Bantus. The Somali Bantu Community Association has raised the last $367,000 needed to purchase the organic farm for $430,000 by the end of September and expand its Liberation Farms program that helps members support themselves or sell locally through sustainable farming. It will also serve as a cultural center and community gathering spot for Bantu refugees from Somalia, a group with about 3,000 members in the Lewiston-Auburn area.