Food Gardens to Assist the Homeless Population
If one were to take the time to really look around their neighborhood, city block, street, or where ever they reside they would notice open space. Free space. Vacant lots. Overgrown lots. Maybe perfectly manicured and costly green lawns there just to soak up tax dollars and resources. Urban or rural, these spaces are there and they can be utilized. Food gardens can fill these spaces and the homeless population can help tend to, manage, and help coordinate these efforts. Atlanta is one city, that I can think of off the top of my head, that is participating in such efforts already.
With these lots functioning as food gardens, they can supply local homeless shelters and food pantries with fresh produce. Not only would there be a sense of pride in supplying the food for these establishments but healthier options would be incorporated into the menus. A healthy and full person experiencing homelessness will have a far better chance of escaping such circumstances.
Having the homeless persons operate and manage these food gardens would give them responsibilities, it would give them purpose, it could teach them life skills, and it could add to creating a viable local food system (as we work to move away from the industrial food system). In some circumstances, those running the gardens could even establish themselves in the local farmers market and set up a stand. The more connections and bridges homeless populations can build with the surrounding community the better.
As these food gardens provide a source of local healthy food, they will also share names and histories of the homeless persons operating them. It will be an opportunity for the community to learn more about those they walk by daily and to learn more about their situations. Opportunities will be created to learn that this population is no different than you or I. This, by no means, will be a “solve all solution” but it will provide many opportunities for positive change to be an option for a population who has either been forgotten or ignored. It can help open doors that much of this population thought to be closed. Change is possible and we can all be part of that change.
