BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Neighbors are looking to address food insecurity by making more fresh produce available to the community.
Im Melissa Wright in Omaha where one non-profit, received two, $1 lots and plans to get the community involved in a project they hope serves for generations.
The North Omaha Community Partnership, a non-profit known for its work focused on self-sufficiency, wellness, education and family foundation, was recently gifted two lots of land by Abide Omaha. The land was purchased by Abide for $1 from the city and will be used for a community garden.
"I've been growing food since I was a kid with my mom, we had raised beds and we would plant a variety of of foods,” said Zyla.
Peyton Zyla says gardening with his mom was a big part of his childhood and looks forward to sharing that memory with his neighbors.
"Especially in north Omaha we live in a food desert, a healthy food desert, so for us to be self sustainable and growing our own foods is important to me," said Zyla.
Tamika Mease, the founder of the North Omaha Community Partnership says she hopes the community gardens are an opportunity for the younger generation.
"Setting things up for the future, I'm thinking about generations that I will never get to meet and setting things up for them and I think this is very important because it takes us back to our roots, when we grew our own food,” said Mease.
Mease says, the non-profit will provide the seeds and tools. All they ask is for neighbors to show up and help maintain the gardens.
"It’s taking part in creating your own, okay." Said Mease.
"It will bring people together for one and it will also ground everybody in the nature that is around us,” said Zyla.
In the upcoming weeks, a meeting will be held with the neighbors to discuss plans to begin gardening.
I'm also told that the non-profit will be buying a third lot in the vicinity for the same purpose. In Omaha, I’m Melissa Wright.
