Growing Connections: Esther Solomon at ServiceNet’s Prospect Meadow Farm

As Program Director at ServiceNet’s Prospect Meadow Farm, Esther Solomon helps oversee the farm’s operations while supporting a team that thrives in a nurturing, therapeutic environment. The farm provides meaningful work for individuals with disabilities, helping them build skills, confidence, and community. 

They describe their work as deeply fulfilling. “I feel like it’s the most productive work I’ve ever done in my life—helping people, caring for them, and seeing food grow from the ground. It’s my one true calling,” they said. 

Solomon’s journey to Prospect Meadow Farms East began four years ago, right after earning a bachelor’s degree in Women and Gender Studies with a minor in Psychology. They joined ServiceNet as a job coach, supporting the farm’s shiitake mushroom operation. “I had a lot to learn about tools, gardening, and growing, but I’ve always loved being outside and working with my hands,” Solomon said. 

While their studies gave them a framework to see the world from different perspectives, personal experience shaped the empathy and understanding that makes them excel in their role. “I spent much of my early life focused on relationships and understanding others,” they said. “Now, I can channel that into my work in a meaningful way.” 

Solomon hadn’t originally planned on a career working with individuals with disabilities. During college, they met a social worker who ran a farm that doubled as transitional housing for women coming out of incarceration. That encounter opened their eyes to a path they hadn’t considered. “I wasn’t seeking this career, but now I can’t imagine leaving it. I enjoy it, and I feel like I’m good at it,” Solomon said. 

Through their work at Prospect Meadow Farms East, Solomon also hopes to challenge misconceptions about people with disabilities in the workforce. “No one can dispute the importance of the work our team does. What could be more essential than growing food and feeding people?”