Our Community Advocacy Director, Mona Evans, is moving home to be closer to her family in Detroit, Michigan. We will miss her so much; it’s hard to put into words how much Mona has changed Benevolence Farm for the better.
While today may be Mona’s last day working at the Farm, we know it won’t be the last time we are in community together.
Below is a “see you later” message from Mona herself:
My journey began at Benevolence Farm on May 2, 2022. I was released from prison after serving 4 years and 10 months. I had no clue what my future held. I was scared of the unknown. All I knew was that I wanted to reunite with my children, and I was ready to step into something different at Benevolence Farm.
I came in with purpose, but no solid plan. I worked with the reentry team on setting goals. I learned my way around the workshop and fell in love with candle making. I picked up so many new skills: inventory, marketing, and even creating my own soap. The Honeysuckle and Turmeric soap will always be special to me because it reminded me that I could create something from scratch and call it mine.
Benevolence Farm didn’t just give me a place to live and work. They invested in me. When I found out I couldn’t return to nursing school because of my record, I was angry. I didn’t understand why my past was still blocking my future. But instead of letting that anger break me, I used it to push me. I wanted to advocate for formerly incarcerated people. And the Farm stood behind me every step of the way.
I got to travel to places I had only seen on TV. My first big trip was a 9 month-long cohort in Washington, DC, a place I always dreamed of visiting. That experience not only led to securing my full-time job at the Farm, but it also gave me the tools, connections, and confidence to start my own project, Bonding Families.
I came to Benevolence Farm in May 2022. By November 2022, I was in my own place, working at the Farm as the Enterprise Assistant, working a second job in the community at a caregiver agency, and reuniting with my son full-time. By June 2023, I had all my children under one roof in North Carolina. Without Benevolence Farm, I would have never been able to build that kind of stability in less than six months. They gave me space to grow and I flourished.
Benevolence Farm made sure my basic needs were met — housing, employment, support — but they also gave me something deeper. They gave me a family.
It started with my Executive Director (my boss lady) who came into my life at a time I needed it most. After losing my mom in 2015, I didn’t think I would ever feel that kind of guidance again. But she showed up like a guardian angel. She pushed me to grow. She made sure I never felt alone. Whether it was something at work or one of my children’s birthdays, she was there. She connected me to people in the community who supported me with no questions asked.
It saddens me to say that I will be moving back to my hometown of Detroit, Michigan on February 21, 2026. But seeing how Benevolence Farm supported me through my journey gave me the courage to go back home and work on healing and rebuilding bonds with my own family.
Benevolence Farm will always be my foundation, my safe space, and most importantly, my family. This isn’t goodbye. It’s just see you later.
To our founder, Tanya Jisa, thank you for creating a space for formerly incarcerated women to heal. To the staff, thank you for the work, energy, and time you put in every day to make lives better. To the residents, I appreciate each and every one of you. And to the community, donors, and everyone who has supported me or the Farm: thank you. None of this would be possible without you.
Every single one of you played a part in my journey, and I will forever be grateful.
Mona Evans
Your Community Advocacy Director
