JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local organization is working to address food insecurity across Jacksonville, and the group is doing it by making sure families have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Melanated Growers said it’s also trying to improve health outcomes for these families.
The organization plants community gardens in areas considered food deserts.
Founder Lisa Corprew said her goal is not only to help families put food on the table, but to improve their quality of life as well.
From greens to peppers to herbs, Corprew makes sure fresh fruits and vegetables are available for families who need them.
She maintains a garden in Springfield, one of many that Melanated Growers planted for families in the area.
Corprew says the idea came to her while tending her own garden.
“I was looking over my fruit and vegetables and I was thinking, wow, with me doing this much for my family and feeding my family just from my garden, imagine what I could if I brought this to the community and planted other gardens in the community where other people can come and partake,” she said.
In the three years since, the organization has planted dozens of gardens in communities and schools, focusing on the urban core.
Corprew said her passion for gardening, dates back generations.
“I come from a farm family, my grandparents were farmers in the rural south. That’s where a lot of the African American farmers started. We are serving people who are traditionally underserved in our melanated population, which is our African American population. It’s typically the most underserved when it comes to living in food deserts,” she said.
Melanated Growers Vice President Brandon Byers said the group’s work nourishes more than the body.
The group’s priorities include educating others about farming and encouraging them to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diets.
“Me being a native of Jacksonville, I know there are food disparities and food insecurities on every side of town in our city,” said Byers. “You just have to find those pockets. But meeting the need I do believe starts in the Northwest quadrant of Jacksonville.”
The group’s long-term goal is to see healthy improvements in marginalized communities.
“Preventative health care is what we push,” Corprew said. “We want people to be healthy just by changing small things that you eat. Eat less meat, more vegetables, things that come from the Earth.”
The group is working toward that, one garden at a time.
“I want them to gain a love for gardening because once you start doing it and you realize I can go and grocery shop in my backyard, it becomes addictive. If we could just get them started, I feel like they’re going to be hooked,” Corprew said.
Melanated Growers is always looking for volunteers.
The group is breaking ground on a community garden this Saturday on Caljon Road and welcomes volunteers.
For more information on how you can sign up, click here.