Flint River Fresh and Healthy Sumter offers affordable fresh produce in Grow Your Groceries program

AMERICUS, Ga. – Flint River Fresh is paving a way for sustainable food solutions through the implementation of its Grow Your Groceries program.

Beginning April 1st, Flint River Fresh and Healthy Sumter will open applications for their grow your groceries program. Eligible residents of Andersonville, Cobb, DeSoto, Leslie, and Plains will have the opportunity to apply for a complimentary or reduced-cost all inclusive food gardening installation.

“The housing authority initiated a raised garden bed at the Carter unit as a prototype because we are restoring the carter unit back to its original state. The 54 units here in Plains were all built during the 1950s, and during that time, most families had a garden either in their front yards or the back of their homes. So, we surveyed our residents to determine who had interest in having a raised garden bed, which brought us to this point today. Our resident, Miss Mary Hathaway, will be the first resident to receive a raised garden day yet,” said Diana Roberts, Americus Housing Authority, Resident Services Coordinator.

“I’ve had gardens all my life. Things are so hard these days. We need a way to grow our own stuff because I think it is going to come down to that. When you get it from a grocery store, you don’t know what you getting. But when you grow your own, you know what you get,” said Mary Hathaway, garden recipient.

This installation includes a raised garden bed filled with nutrient-rich soil, seasonal plants, and access to expert gardening guidance aimed at ensuring a successful and abundant harvest.

Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last, with a priority given to applicants demonstrating financial need, and to families with children.

“So, the idea concept actually was birthed from an organization that we follow out of Boston, Massachusetts. And so they were doing this thing called “Build a Garden,” for people in Boston that had limited access to fresh food because of their neighborhood. And, so, seeing the idea and the concept and thinking about our rural communities that are ten miles away from the local grocery store, how can we build something that’s sustainable where people live directly? And, we’re able to walk with people to our garden workshop series by the grow guide that we provide to people, and then it gives us a direct contact. So, even down the road when we’re doing a food distribution, we’re coming back to some of these communities where we have boxes that people know we can reach out to them directly to feed them, provide for them workshops and resources,” said Fredando “Farmer Fredo” Jackson, Flint River Fresh, Executive Director.

Fredando Jackson, Executive Director at Flint River Fresh, discusses the organization’s future plans and the expansion of the Grow Your Groceries program.

“In 5 to 10 years, I really want it to be a self-sustaining movement where people in the community have learned how to build the garden boxes for themselves, have learned how to plant and grow food where they live, and it just becomes like a cultural way of life. So, I want this to be a return to coming outside, seeing what your neighbors are doing with your neighbors, growing, you know, sharing seeds, sharing the harvest. And, it becomes a way for the community to support itself, to promote itself. Maybe four times a year, that’s a harvest that’s happening community wide and people have to come together, share food, cook for one another, and just talk about what’s happening in each other’s lives,” said Jackson.

De’Andra Jacobs reporting.

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