LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Eating healthy and buying fresh produce may not be affordable for everyone.
For residents living near Lake Mead and Revere Street in North Las Vegas, shopping may be impossible without a nearby grocery store.
But Zion Methodist Church’s Urban Farm is filling that gap when it comes to food insecurity.
“We started with four beds,” said head gardener Harry Dodd.
Dodd has lived in the Las Vegas area for 50 years and is no stranger to the food deserts that affect this part of North Las Vegas.
This inspired him to start planting fruits and vegetables behind the church many years ago.
Area residents like Anselene Trotter told FOX 5 they had to cross town to buy groceries.
Trotter said he and some residents were able to go shopping but were digging deep into their own pockets.
Now we can dig in our own neighborhoods.
“We sometimes go out and buy groceries. We have a lot of vegetables: okra, sweet potatoes, onions,” Trotter said.
The City of North Las Vegas donated $1.5 million to help enhance the farm and recently helped build a greenhouse dome.
The farm also features an expanded, newly renovated STEM Labs with funding from Energy Tree.
The new center will be called the Urban Advanced Agricultural Technology Center.
“One of our priorities is to strengthen food security where people need it most,” said COO Amber Boskett.
With UCAAT, residents will be able to learn how to utilize green thumb in their own homes.
The lettuce they grow is inside a sponge and is watered through a reservoir.
The church also plans to open its kitchen and begin offering healthy cooking classes.
For now, residents can harvest their produce for free, but eventually they will have to pay in pounds.
Click here to learn more about Zion Urban Farm.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
