Community Garden Plan in Dallas Is Growing

Community gardens are nothing new, but the planners of a fresh one in Southeast Dallas say theirs has the backing of major partners who want to see major changes in health statistics.
 
The garden at the Southeast Dallas Health Center is a project backed by Parkland Hospital and the Urban League of Greater Dallas; the ultimate goal is to teach healthy eating and to attempt to make a dent in startling health statistics that plague the neighborhood. Planners say it's been an uphill battle.
 
"I took two days and went to every house in this community, walking in the middle of the hot summer talking to people about a community garden," said neighborhood organizer Peter Johnson. "Nobody was interested."
 
But seeing is believing, and interest is growing: there are plans to develop other gardens across Dallas County, including at other Parkland facilities.
 
"We are very confident that we'll be able to replicate this process in several of the other campuses," said Cylton Ewell, program director of the Urban League of Greater Dallas.
 
Volunteers are being trained to help tend the garden properly and learn to replenish what's already been picked. 

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