Raleigh had been considered as one of North Carolina's most economically distressed neighborhood. So on Saturday, a dozen volunteers set out to finds fertile on the grounds on Raleigh to grow their different kinds of fruits in the 4-acre land of fenced-off concrete.
According to Erin White of Community Food Lab, group spearheaded the City Fruit project said, "It's a case study built in to find out how it's used." She also added that there are no rules on how the fruits will be used or on whoever will harvest them. They are hoping that residents would see the project as an amenity they could utilize.
The US Department of Agriculture considered South Park as a "food desert" and a study conducted by the University of North Carolina tagged the city as the seventh most distressed city in the state. The five convenient stores are about a half-mile away from each other and the closest one is about a mile away. The Galley, one of the five, opened last year and offered fresh fruits and vegetables for the neighborhood.
White said, "One of the problems is food access, and there are problems with food awareness and food literacy." She also added that the projects also aim to develop camaraderie and creativity among the residents. They are hopeful that the people will be cooking together, share meals, and be involved in gardening. The project started with small steps and they are looking forward n the future.
Among the fruits planted were apples, fig trees, and blueberry and blackberry bushes. These were planted around South Park, some residents' backyard and in other nonprofit properties. The $1,000 fund was from the Awesome Raleigh's cash prize and Greenscape, a landscaping company donated mulch, labor and fertile soil. Local churches and high schools participated in the projects.
One of the residents, Lester Clay, said that the neighborhood will be offered cooking and gardening classes where they will learn on how to prepare food. "First, people have to know what a certain food is and how to prepare it," said Clay.
He is hopeful that this initiative will spark the change in the residents of Raleigh and that they would take ownership and take care of the trees.
The Community Lab said that they will check the progress of the trees in six months time. The residents and the local organizations also took the responsibility of making sure that the trees are well maintained and taken care of.
