● Meals on wheels in Charlotte-Mecklenburg ●
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http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/12/1430357/bounty-from-garden-will-nourish.html
Bounty from garden will nourish bodies and spirits
The Friendship Trays program will have fresh produce, thanks to help
from Slow Food Charlotte.
By Karen Sullivan
ksullivan@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, May. 12, 2010
If there are food deserts in America - where people have little
access to fresh fruits and vegetables - then many elderly and
shut-ins are living at ground zero.
On weekdays, nonprofit Friendship Trays delivers about 750 midday
meals to Charlotte-area residents who are unable to prepare or get
meals on their own because of age or poor health.
Still, it's rare to see items such as vibrant fresh tomatoes or even
strawberries on these plates, sometimes the day's only meal for
customers.
"We can't buy a local tomato that we can afford," said Lucy Bush
Carter, executive director of Friendship Trays. "We're priced out of
that market."
So Friendship Trays is growing its own tomatoes on the lot behind
its south Charlotte office and kitchen, off Remount Road in an
industrial park a few miles from the center city.
There are also carrots, onions, salad greens and other vegetables
and herbs growing within a whimsical design. An artist added lots of
colorful touches with the raised beds, which are spread out where
only waist-high grass and weeds once stood.
Slow Food Charlotte donated money to design and build the garden.
It's a project of the 150-member club's two-year-old Community
Garden Collaborative program.
The club's goals include promoting local farms and helping
communities develop their own sources of food. Community gardens are
among those.
In announcing a campaign against childhood obesity in February,
first lady Michelle Obama estimated that 23.5 million Americans live
in areas without easy access to fruits and vegetables.
When mainstream grocers shutter stores in poor communities, many
residents rely more heavily on fast or convenience foods.
Sowing seeds for gardens
Slow Food Charlotte's board is in the process of setting up four to
five gardens in Charlotte to support Friendship Trays and the
communities where the gardens will be built.
Most will serve distressed populations and economically fragile
communities.
Interest in the program has been strong, said Rich Deming, co-leader
of Slow Food Charlotte. Partners so far include the Revolution Park
Neighborhood Association in West Charlotte, Trinity Episcopal School
and Urban Ministry Center, which has plans for a residential
community for chronically homeless adults.
Slow Food Charlotte also has a partnership with Hope Haven substance
abuse treatment program to share some of its greenhouse space and
provide food for Friendship Trays.
Once the club helps build a garden, volunteers plant the crops and
maintain the area, with guidance from Slow Food Charlotte members.
Volunteers learn gardening skills and take home much of the food
they grow.
"Any vacant lot in this town that's surrounded by a residential area
should have a garden on it," Deming said.
"There are people in some areas who are not going to get in their
cars and go to a farmers market on Saturdays," he said. "Those are
the people who need the assistance the most."
Learning tool for students
Right now, the garden at Friendship Trays is mostly a learning tool
for students at Community Culinary School.
Students in this training program for chronically underemployed
adults prepare the daily meals for Friendship Trays. Soon they will
learn to cook with fresh produce and herbs from the garden.
Now officials at Friendship Trays are considering building a larger
garden, maybe 2 or 3 acres somewhere. A larger garden would not only
improve meals, but also might help with food costs, which are
covered through private donations and reached nearly $364,000 in
2009.
That was a 10 percent increase over the year prior.
"We would need a stream of volunteers and some staffing to pull that
off," Carter said. "Then we could impact our food bill."
The staff at Friendship Trays is also building relationships with
local farmers. That could lead to occasional donations of surplus
fresh produce or, in time, perhaps local purchasing agreements.
"I want to support the local economy, support farmers that are
trying to make a living farming, and I want to be able to offer the
people we serve good, fresh fruits and vegetables," Carter said. "It
improves their quality of life."
