South City neighborhood hosted iGROW at the Garden Extension Day
Special to the Outlook
This past Saturday, Sept. 23, iGrow “Whatever You Like”, a youth empowerment and urban agriculture entrepreneurship program of the Tallahassee Food Network, partnered with several local community organizations to host their iGrow at the Garden Extension Day. iGrow “South City” or iGrow South City Community Garden is a partnership with Florida Department of Health, City of Tallahassee, Tallahassee Food Network, Whole Child Leon, 510 Orange Ave LLC and funders. This event taught residents how to take advantage of the local community gardens as a source for locally grown, healthy foods.
iGrow at the Garden Extension Day shared knowledge on food justice and urban gardening through a wide range of hands-on activities that will helped instill leadership and entrepreneurship skills among youth attendance. Activities at the event promoted community empowerment that can improve food access in the South City neighborhood.
For their efforts, iGROW was named as a finalist in a national health competition, the Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge, an initiative sponsored by the American Public Health Association, the National Association of Counties and the Aetna Foundation.
The South City neighborhood is plagued with many of the problems that can be found in urban areas across the country. According to a 2015 study released by the Urban Land Institute, residents in the neighborhood have little access to healthy food options. The area has also been declared a ‘food desert’ pursuant to USDA standards, with only one neighborhood grocer providing readily accessible, but limited food options.
Local youth planting seeds in South City Community Garden this past Saturday during iGrow in the Garden Extension Day. The event at South City Community Garden was a part of Leon County’s effort to combat local health disparities and improve access to healthy foods. iGROW in Leon County was selected to participate in the Healthiest Cites & Counties Challenge, a partnership between the Aetna Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the National Association of Counties. Learn more about how Leon County’s efforts to become to healthiest city in the U.S. here: http://www.healthiestcities.org/map/leon-county-florida
Local youth making seed art necklaces at South City Community Garden during iGrow in the Garden Extension Day. The event this past Saturday at South City Community Garden was a part of Leon County’s effort to combat local health disparities and improve access to healthy foods. iGROW in Leon County was selected to participate in the Healthiest Cites & Counties Challenge, a partnership between the Aetna Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the National Association of Counties. Learn more about how Leon County’s efforts to become to healthiest city in the U.S. here: http://www.healthiestcities.org/map/leon-county-florida
Local youth harvesting sweet potatoes with staff this past Saturday at iGrow in the Garden Extension Day. The event at South City Community Garden was a part of Leon County’s effort to combat local health disparities and improve access to healthy foods. iGROW in Leon County was selected to participate in the Healthiest Cites & Counties Challenge, a partnership between the Aetna Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the National Association of Counties. Learn more about how Leon County’s efforts to become to healthiest city in the U.S. here: http://www.healthiestcities.org/map/leon-county-florida
