Edible Landscapes Initiative in Mecklenburg County, NC Keeps Growing
Neighbors harvest, process, and distribute food to community members directly or through their church food pantry.
Over the past year, Mecklenburg County Public Health’s (MCPH) Edible Landscape program teamed up with partners and community volunteers on four new installations in the County’s priority areas to bring the total number of edible landscapes installed to 17. The new installations are located at Another Chance House of Refuge, Woods Friendly Community Garden, Sugaw Creek Recreation Center, and Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center.
The Edible Landscapes initiative utilizes partnerships with faith and community organizations to help address food access and diet-related illnesses that many of our neighbors experience. Community orchards help provide fresh fruit and vegetables to residents in food insecure neighborhoods. The orchards produce plums, figs, pears, peaches, blueberries and persimmons, in addition to seasonal herbs and vegetables like squash, string beans, tomatoes and cucumbers. Neighbors harvest, process and distribute food to community members directly or through their church food pantry. Their efforts have supplied fresh, nutritious food to thousands of people in Mecklenburg County.
The success of these plantings would not have been possible without help from the following partners:
• NC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners
• Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation
• Harvesting Humanity
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
• Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office
• Urban Institute for Strengthening Families
• Men of Destiny
