ORLANDO, Fla. — Local organizations are teaming up to make sure underserved communities in Central Florida have access to healthy foods.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
Thursday, children and families in Orlando’s West Lakes Neighborhood started planting a garden that will one day provide them with fresh produce.
It’s all in partnership with 4Roots, The Ginsburg Institute at Nemours, and the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida Jacqueline Bradley and Clarence Otis Family Branch.
“They’ll have the component of learning how to harvest. Get out here and weed the gardens, water the gardens,” Jamie Merrill, The President and CEO for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, said. “Then turn around and work with not only the education piece, but also the preparation in our kitchens.”
Read: Lab-grown meat isn’t on store shelves yet, but some states have already banned it
It’s having that access to fresh foods many kids go without.
One in five children across Central Florida don’t know where their next meal will come from.
“Sometimes people have to choose between food and rent,” Nancy Molello, Executive Director for the Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity at Nemours Children’s Health, said.
Read: The restaurants closed down the most for severe safety violations
The organizations teamed up to create a sustainable community garden and educate members on nutrition and cooking.
“Breakfast for a lot of these kids is just a snickers bar and a bag of chips at the convenience store on the way to the bus stop,” Josh Taylor, the Head Farmer for 4Roots Farm, said. “We wonder why they struggle to sit still, stay awake, retain information. That perpetuates the poverty cycle. We want to make a difference there.”
Tori Urrutia is one of the club members who got her hands dirty Thursday. She is already a bit of a gardening expert.
Read: Local food bank has new funds to expand its operations
“Pineapple, watermelon, sweet potatoes, I’ve planted a lot of stuff,” Urrutia said.
She looks forward to putting her gardening skills to use at the club and enjoying the fruits of her labor.
“I can help with it and then I can eat some of the food,” Urrutia said.
All the partners involved in this garden hope to one day have a garden at every Boys & Girls Club across Central Florida.
They also hope this will encourage members to pursue entrepreneurship and farming.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2024 Cox Media Group
