LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The garden at the California Community Center needed some work after falling into disrepair during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fewer people were using the space, and the garden suffered as a result.
Dr. Shawn Gardner, the CEO and founder of 2not1 Fatherhood and Families, reached out to the community for help.
"There was a beautiful garden already here, however, because of COVID, things just went down hill," Gardener said.
But after rallying support, the garden is ready for summer.
"It's a beautiful sight to see," Gardner said.
Thanks to a grant from the Cigna Healthier Kids for Our Future, Norton Children’s Prevention and Wellness was able to help revitalize the garden space. Volunteers spent Wednesday working with 2not1 replanting the garden with everything from potatoes and peppers to cucumbers and herbs.
"We recently started addressing food insecurity," said Nikki Boyd, coordinator at Norton Children’s Prevention and Wellness. "When we came out to this space, we noticed we had these fabulous community gardens that just needed a little bit of love."
Boyd said food insecurity is about the lack of access to healthy foods like fruits and vegetables and the lack of ability to pay for it.
"When we think about Louisville and places that are food deserts, we think about food injustices," she said. "We have to have healthy, nutritious foods to grow up healthy and strong."
The garden will be maintained by the community and will provide a free source of fresh vegetables to those in the California neighborhood. The hope is to provide a source of fresh food in a "food desert" in west Louisville and teach young children about where their food comes from and start building healthy habits at a young age.
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