- [Gardener] It's healthy.
It's good food,
and it's fun to be able to say,
I grew this,
I did this.
I've grown tomatoes, well, up until I moved here.
I grew up on a farm.
And you know, if we got hungry in the middle of the day
we went to the garden, we'd grab a cucumber and eat it.
You know, peel and all.
We were 35 miles from the closest grocery store.
Whenever I moved in, in Del Valle,
12 miles didn't seem like a long distance to me.
I guess I didn't realize that we were so far out,
and so far removed from grocery stores.
Del Valle is in a food desert.
We don't have a source of fresh produce
other than a convenience store with some overpriced,
overripe vegetables.
Some of my neighbors don't have reliable transportation.
They can't just pick up and go to town
because they need something.
But they can ask a neighbor,
"hey and could you go get me a tomato?"
We now have a $10,000 grant to build a garden.
We want to be able to provide some fresh fruit,
some fresh veg, to our neighbors
that are here in the subdivision at no cost to them.
(people working)
And that garden is going to be 40 foot by 40 foot square.
And then we have planter boxes
that are going to be raised bed.
So if someone is elderly, they can get in
and they don't have to bend over to be able to garden.
(man drilling)
I've already started asking people, what do you want?
And a lot of people want an herb garden,
so we'll do one that's an herb garden.
I'm really, really, encouraged by the number of people
that have answered me of what they want to do,
and that they're excited for this,
and that they can't wait to harvest their own vegetables.
It's there to be nutritious.
And I think not only am I hoping that it promotes
healthier eating, but I'm hoping that it promotes
neighbors speaking to neighbors.
A couple of years ago, I had a bout
with a pretty serious illness
and my vehicle never moved for a week and a half,
and no one came and checked on me.
So I want, you know, people to notice that, "oh, my,
their vehicle hasn't moved for a couple of days.
I should go knock on their door and say, Hey, are you okay?
Do you need something?"
And that's what I'm trying to promote.
(friendly conversation)
I want neighbors to become that, neighbors.
Not to become strangers that live next door to one another.
(boisterous laughter)
(friendly banter)
I want to be able to go down to the garden
and strike up a conversation with somebody who lives
on the other side of the neighborhood,
that I've never met.
(polite exchange)
We all need people.
And you know, we all need another friend,
even if it's just an acquaintance,
we still need another acquaintance, another friend.
(friendly conversation)
And I'm hoping,
that this garden brings a lot of people together as a whole.
This doesn't have to stop at just fruits and vegetables.
- [Ribbon Cutter] One, two, three!
(clapping, joyful cheering)
I want it to be much more than a community garden.
I want it to be the start of a community.
(gentle breeze)