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‘It Was Like Therapy’: West Sacramento Man Aims To Help At-Risk Youth With Community Garden

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The pandemic has forced non-profits like this one to dig deep to rediscover their roots and keep growing during these trying times.

By Ryan Hill
CBS
February 19, 2021

Excerpt:

A West Sacramento man is hoping he can plant a seed in the minds of at-risk youth to help stop them from going down the wrong path.

If you’ve driven down C Street heading to and from the I Street bridge in West Sacramento, you’ve probably seen Alfred Melbourne and others at Three Sisters Garden working the plot of land. But, it’s more than just planting crops.

“We want to surround our kids with as many opportunities and positive role models as we can,” Melbourne said.

It’s helping and employing at-risk teens and young adults to stay off of the path that Melbourne, a founding board member of Three Sisters Garden, himself went down – and his work isn’t going unnoticed.

“Where a lot of his motivation comes from hurt and pain and seeing that his own story and in his community and wanting something better. He’s scraping away every day for it,” said Kelsey Brewer, another founding board member.

“In between jobs, once I was released from prison, just kind of bouncing around and not feeling fulfilled in what I was doing,” Melbourne said. “For me, it was like therapy. It was for something for me to just really throw myself into completely.”

Read the complete article here.