KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Volunteer youth are helping harvest vegetables from an inner-city garden at 27th Street and Prospect Avenue as part of the "Food from the Hood" program.
The effort is aimed at bringing hope and healthy food to families in one of the most impoverished and crime-ridden areas of Kansas City, according to environmental consultant Lynn Hinkle. The program is also aimed at giving youth "Green Jobs" internships.
The garden is located on what was once a series of vacant lots. Neighbors and church members helped plant the seeds, which are now producing a bumper crop of squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants and greens, Hinkle said.
She said corn tassels wave above the heads of adults and children who cannot find fresh fruit or vegetables at their corner grocery store.
"Kids can find liquor, candy and cigarettes, but not a single health fresh-picked ear of corn," said Kenneth Mosley, one of the board members of Green Acres, a nonprofit organization.
The city's water department provided a padlocked garden hose hookup to allow volunteers to water the gardens from a nearby fire hydrant. Donations of plants and seeds as well as expertise from retailers and farmers has helped make the program a success, Hinkle said.
"Poor people cannot find healthy food in their own neighborhood. If a child suffers from food allergies or diabetes, that child's body is starving for good nutrition," Councilwoman Sharon Sanders Brooks said in the news release. "Fresh food from Green Acres is one way to start feeding that child's body so when school starts in a few weeks his mind is ready to learn."
