Earlier this fall, the Logan County Sheriff’s Office hosted their annual harvest luncheon to celebrate the bounty from the longtime jail garden and the newer poultry initiative.

The flavorful cookout fare included chicken that was raised on site by inmate trustees. Alongside grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and brats, the barbecue chicken was served up after being prepped by Vic Klingelhofer from Vic’s Country Cookin’ to make it a hit for attendees.

Throughout the year, the two-acre garden and the poultry project produce fresh vegetables, eggs and chicken that are incorporated into meals at the jail, helping to cut down on the bottom line for the facility’s budget.

Even more importantly, this innovative program provides significant mental health benefits for inmates, as they carefully tend to the soil and look after the meat chickens and laying hens on the grounds of the LCSO and jail complex, 284 S. County Road 32, Bellefontaine.

“We’ve seen tremendous results for our inmates,” said Dougie Boggs, Recovery Zone of Logan County incarceration outreach program director, who noted a major drop in disciplinary issues at the jail with these new initiatives.

Boggs works alongside Sheila Clarkson from the Recovery Zone to conduct support groups and one-on-one sessions with inmates throughout the week, along with joining in for caretaking in the garden and with the chickens.