Fabette Smith will be the first to admit that she’s no gardener. But her mother was and Fabette learned well the value of raising the food you eat from the soil. When COVID-19 struck and left so many families struggling with food insecurity, Fabette became convinced that her community needed to have an available source with which to grow their own food.
She turned to an organization long known for their gardening expertise, and for working with neighbors to create sustainable food sources—Inter-Faith Food Shuttle—and together, they’re growing a new community garden in southeast Raleigh.
Located on an 800 square foot lot adjacent to Fabette’s childhood home, the garden is still under construction. Food Shuttle Community Garden Manager Marshall Dietrich and interns Taylor Eaton and Maddy Graves are working to build the garden out. Eventually, it will include ten inground rows that, this fall, will produce crops of lettuce, chard, kale, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, and assorted herbs.
The garden is located at 1201 Cross Link Road. There are four churches situated within a mile of the space, which will provide volunteers to tend the beds once the garden is up and running.
“This new garden will allow us to reach a new community and further our mission of empowering our neighbors to grow their own food,” shared Marshall Dietrich. “We’re very excited about the opportunities this space will bring to the families in our new neighborhood.”
For information on Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s current Community Garden initiatives, click here.