Community in bloom: South Florida nonprofit Health in the Hood starts urban garden near Miami’s West Little River

A South Florida woman is serving her neighborhood by providing specific healthy foods She s on a mission to improve the lives of her neighbors one garden at a time s Heather Walker shows us in tonight s Spotlight Asha Walker founder of Robustness in the Hood How about a few tomatoes Let s do it To grow a garden you need specific dirt Asha Walker Let s crack open those seeds Sunshine and Asha Walker What do you think the last thing we need to do is Genesis Watering Asha Walker Girl you are a pro This area garden in Pinewood near Miami s West Little River neighborhood is a place where people can learn to plant pick and enjoy food fresh from the garden Genesis pulls a sweet potato from the ground Asha Walker Woo That s a big one We had to work for that guy Heather Walker What do you think about this Jennifer Richards Genesis mom Honestly I love it I love it Jennifer Richards and her daughter Genesis just now moved to Pinewood and just happened to stumble upon the garden Genesis It s very fun and it s very cool Jennifer Richards I really like this aspect the fact that this is an open garden in the neighborhood for kids to just stop by learn certain things and just to have fun in it Especially for her since she loves to garden so I love the aspect of having something so close for her That was the goal when Asha Walker started these gardens with her nonprofit called Wellness in the Hood Asha Walker Our mission is equal food access for all Plenty of inner city areas in South Florida are in what the Food and Drug Administration calls food deserts which is any area more than a mile away from a grocery store Asha Walker If you are living in a district that s more than a mile away from a grocery store you don t have a car you don t have extra disposable income but if you have it growing in your backyard it s a totally different scenario Which is what prompted Asha to bring fresh grown vegetables to the neighborhood through urban farming Asha Walker Urban gardens are really the heart of our model We go into a neighborhood that you wouldn t typically think of seeing a garden in and we transform what was a vacant lot into a vibrant vegetable garden and it truly transforms the neighborhood Nikki Fowles has been working for Strength in the Hood from the beginning Asha Walker She is totally the heart and soul of this effort She has seen the changes these gardens create in the neighborhood Nicole Fowles We have had a large impact We ve had a lot of the elder people that doesn t drive anymore and doesn t work Along with planting gardens Physical condition in the Hood leads society nutrition development programs and holds food distribution events The food in the gardens is open to anyone in the neighborhood They can pick what they need and take it home to enjoy with their family Nicole Fowles To grow your own food and to literally be able to share it with others it s a wonderful feeling Mama It s a beautiful feeling to give back Heather Walker What was your favorite part Genesis Planting the green beans Asha Walker A little bit of love a little creativity and chosen healthy soil and you can truly transform a neighborhood Genesis I want to come the following day Jennifer Richards We re going to come back later Asha Walker Bye thank you guys Genesis Bye These gardens are growing happier healthier futures one row at a time Heather Walker News For more information about Wellbeing in the Hood click here If you know of a person place or group that you think we should highlight email us at spotlight wsvn com