Community Garden Revitalization Project
The ability to eat a healthy diet is largely determined by one’s access to affordable, healthy foods - a consequence of the conditions and environment in which one lives which has been escalated during the COVID 19 pandemic. Through support from the Illinois Public Health Institute and Healthier Together, Make Health Happen is working with local partners to improve and increase access to healthier foods by revitalizing and maintaining identified community gardens. The revitalized gardens will serve to increase access to healthier foods within areas of high need working with local community volunteers and partners in their development and sustainability. To fulfill the garden revitalization effort, Make Health Happen identified a garden coordinator for each garden site.
Christian Activity Center Community Garden & Orchard
In partnership with Christian Activity Center and Go International led by Garden Coordinator Seth Hamilton. Providing to food access with locally grown produce and entreprenuel opportunities to the youth and households in the surrounding East St. Louis community with a total of 25 garden beds and 12 tires beds. Go! International and CAC Garden garden is working to improve the local community and education the youth on socially responsible buisness practice and urban farming to create sustainable agriculture ran by the youth. Interested in learning more about the garden or how you can volunteer? Please contact Seth at hamilton.ayo@gmail.com.
SIUE
Charter
School Campus ESTL
In Partnership with SIUE Charter School Campus and We Care Clinic with the support of Dr. Jen Zuercher. Providing educational opportunities and food access to the East St. Louis community and students attending the Charter School with their 40 garden beds. Interested in learning more about the community garden or how you can contribute? Please contact Carolyn Stewart ckribs@siuechs.com or Aaron Vance avance@siue.edu
Lalumier School Community Garden
In partnership with Lalumier School, East Side Health District and St. Louis University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics with the support of interim garden coordinator Grace Ditzler. Providing opportunities for garden ownership and locally grown produce to the public housing households, nearby food pantries, and Lalumier School with their 20 garden beds. This November, Make Health Happen, Healthier Together, and Cahokia School District will work with Lalumier School’s second graders to close the garden with more straw bales until the next growing season getting the parents and students involved in local growing and nutrition. For more information contact Rima at rabusaid@illinois.edu.
Garden Workdays
Revitalizing and maintaining community gardens takes a lot of work, which is why we come together to provide support to the local community through garden workdays. Each garden coordinator helps serve as the liaison between their garden site, local community volunteers, and the resources available to them from Make Health Happen to purchase necessary materials to revitalize their garden. If you are interested in volunteering, managing a garden at a garden site, or donating materials please contact Rima at rabusaid@illinois.edu. HEALTHIER TOGETHER is helping to support the mission of the Garden Revitalization Project with Make Health Happen through its Building Resilient and Inclusive Communities (BRIC) grant made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois Public Health Institute.
