In 2016, the West Marion Community Forum noticed that there were two things missing in their community: fresh produce and job opportunities. They decided to do something about both issues by starting a community garden led by local youth. Addie’s Chapel United Methodist Church hosts the garden, and two other churches, Mt. Moriah Baptist Church and Mt. Zion AME Church, agreed to support the garden with time and monetary donations. The land for the garden was donated by a community member. All three churches did outreach to recruit 5 youth to work in the garden over the summer. The youth received a small stipend, and learned how to grow food from local community members.

Along with caring for the garden, the youth learned basic business skills by selling their produce at church mini-markets. The garden was so successful that they soon had more vegetables than they could sell! They set up shop at the Historic Marion Tailgate Market, where their produce was so popular that they almost always sold out.

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The youth did not just grow produce to sell; they donated at least 10% of their yield to families in need. They also harvested unwanted potatoes at a nearby farm and donated this food to low-income residents. This process, called gleaning, reduces food waste by donating produce that farmers cannot sell.

The youth fed many hungry people through their produce donations. However, by also selling their produce and raising money, they ensured their garden could continue and expand.