Apache Community Garden: We grow, we harvest, we share
Nalwoodi Denzhone Community’s team is a collective of tribal and non-tribal members invested in the San Carlos Apache community.
Payson Roundup
June 4, 2021
Excerpt:
An abundance of fresh vegetables generously distributed to neighboring communities off the rez one year ago during the pandemic lockdown marked the first time many Globe residents had ever heard of the San Carlos Apaches’ Nalwoodi Denzhone Community Garden. If that name is also unfamiliar to you, please read on – see photos of the garden on Facebook – and attend this week’s free online cooperative extension webinar to learn more about this unique community garden, affiliated children’s summer camp, and other ways Nalwoodi Denzhone volunteers are committed to healthy living and positive changes for San Carlos Apache people.
Founder Bryce Barnes was teaching at the San Carlos Detention Center and his heart was stirred for the youth who were in and out of jail for drug and alcohol abuse, truancy, and violence among other crimes. Hearing stories about reservation life and looking into the eyes of kids who were just trying to survive in such a harsh environment moved him. At times, the injustice toward the youth was overwhelming to him. Because there was no transition center at the time, some of the youth were housed in detention due to homelessness or for their own safety. Barnes pursued a vision of developing a way for struggling youth and their families to receive hands-on education.
