John Stephenson

FEEDING THE MULTITUDES

Honored January, 1994

John Stephenson

The Santa Fe Community Farm is probably one of the oldest farms in the United States," said its founder, John Stephenson. Located on forty acres of some of the last undeveloped land in Santa Fe, "it was farmed by the Indians before the Spanish came, so it goes back a long way." The land belongs to John; the farm's entire harvest is donated to the homeless, hungry, and disabled of Santa Fe. In 1995, the Community Farm distributed almost $24,000 worth of fresh produce. Raised with the help of nearly 575 volunteers, the crops benefited more than twenty-five Santa Fe agencies.

A native Santa Fean, John was born at home to Clyde and Clara Stephenson in 1914, at 232 Paseo. "My family was from southern Iowa. They came to New Mexico for my father's health. He had tuberculosis and died when I was two."

Although he was on the small side, John played football and basketball at Santa Fe High School; there were twenty-six students in his graduating class in 1931 or 1932."