Thistle Farms was founded in 1997 in Nashville, Tennessee, by Rev. Becca Stevens with the mission to “help women survivors heal and reclaim their lives by breaking the cycles of trafficking, exploitation and addiction.” It is the largest social enterprise of its kind in the United States to support the community and uplift women who are survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation.
Thistle Farms enables women to experience love and healing through its supportive ecosystem including a two-year residential program, Magdalene, that houses up to 36 residents at a time. Through the program, women are provided healthcare, trauma therapy and counseling, legal advocacy and employment through its social enterprise system, which includes the Body & Home line, The Café and Global Shared Trade.
The Café is in Nashville and serves savory selections such as pot pie, chicken salad croissants, and a harvest bowl made with lemon thyme vinaigrette. The Café also hosts tea parties offering inviting flavors such as Pomegranate Raspberry, Masala Chai and Communi-Tea. Speaking of community, founder Rev. Becca Stevens is a big supporter of the idea. She explains how women who come from backgrounds of trauma and neglect are nurtured, healed and restored through a supportive community of women. “Both brokenness and boldness allow leadership to be visionary,” Stevens says. “Understanding how fragile people can be, or the baggage they are carrying into a room, helps a vision.” Through her own journey and her aspirations to help other women, Stevens has become a force to be reckoned with.
Rev. Becca Stevens has founded 12 nonprofit organizations and has mentored another 60, raising over $75 million to support the organizations and those who benefit from them. She has also “served as chaplain at St. Augustine’s Chapel on Vanderbilt’s campus for almost 30 years.” The organization’s mantra is “love heals.” The compassion Stevens has in uplifting a community of women who have so often been forgotten is evident in her organization’s mission and in the way the women describe their experiences. One of the women in Thistle Farms’ mission video, Ty, says, “They love you back to life.“ The employees wear shirts with the logo while working in the café, store and manufacturing facility. Becca Stevens proclaims, “Love is the most powerful force for change there is.”
Stevens has written 12 books including “The Way of Tea and Justice,” which explores the history of tea and how it was once used as a tool to oppress women. It also highlights the symbolic role tea played in promoting justice and negotiating freedom. Her latest newsletter, “After the Election,” begins with, “After the election, I will get up and go to work.” She elucidates that either way, she will continue her mission “to help women who are incarcerated, on the streets, trafficked, addicted, and searching for hope.” Thistle Farms is a movement about women’s freedom. Her advice to anyone with aspirations of uplifting and healing their community is to “stay practical, stay grounded, and help people see how they can help you into that vision through some small and beautiful things.”
If you or someone you know is a victim of trafficking or exploitation, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.
