Youth helps Friendly City Gardens fight food insecurity
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Access to healthy, nutritious food is a growing problem in many parts of Mississippi.
In Columbus, a partnership between individual volunteers and several organizations is developing a growing solution.
Friendly City Gardens is always trying to find ways to help the hungry close to home..
For a second year the garden is involving the Columbus community in its efforts to help raise food for those in need.
And they’re getting some hands-on help from some 4-H Club members in Lowndes County.
One of the directors of the Friendly City Gardens said it is always a necessity to eliminate food insecurity.
“To me, it’s a first order of business to make sure people are fed,” Bo Jeffares said. “It’s the most basic form of hospitality. So to me, as long as they are people that are hungry, we’ve got to be doing something. This we can do, and God made it possible where we can get food out of the ground, instead of it costing so much and paying so much to go around the world and come back, but it’s like a man let’s just do it right here.”
All of the food produced will go to Loaves and Fishes and residents of the Seasons retirement homes.
Parents said they appreciate the youth getting involved and coming together for a good cause.
“So they are getting the enrichment of working together with each other to plant all these vegetables and just be outside,” Jessica Lee said.
“It means a lot to me because I care very much about these kids and to get them to come out and get their hands dirty to plant some cabbage and to know that it is more than just planting cabbage but they’re giving back to their community and helping some of the elderly citizens here in Columbus,” Leah Eubank said.
The Greens and cabbage being cultivated today will help provide food security for others in the coming months.
“The ultimate thing that we are growing is each other and our kids, people of tomorrow,” Jeffares said. “Like it is their world and a lot of times nowadays kids don’t do this, they’re far removed and we’re even removed from our food and where it comes from and everything.”
If you’re interested in joining or working with the 4-H Club, you can contact the Mississippi State Extension Service or visit the Lowndes County 4-H website.
For more information on Friendly City Gardens, check out their Facebook page.
