Gardening and Nutrition at Carver Park

Ms. Wenny Elrod, Enrichment Program Coordinator with participants in the “Sajai” program.  Photo: Urban News

by Ford Mauldin

Diet is one of the most important factors in a healthy lifestyle. Carver Park is playing a key role in educating citizens of the inner city on nutrition and the art of gardening. Wenny Elrod, the Enrichment Programs Coordinator at Carver explained that there are two programs stemming from a national program called “Sajai” are now taking place at Carver.

 The adult program gives people from the community a plot of land on which they grow a garden. No toxic or petrochemical herbicides, pesticides, or artificial fertilizers can be used in the plots. Natural fertilizers such as composted manure, worm tea manure, and other natural organic material is fine. The center supplies growers with the necessary tools; however, growers must provide their own seeds or plants for their beds, and each member must contribute eight hours per year to the garden in such services as cleanup, volunteering at events, or other activities as are requested.

A second program called Jr. G’s is for youths between the ages of six
and 18. There are presently about 30 youth enrolled in that program.
Health, nutrition, gardening, and cooking are the focus of this program.
Students start with plowing their plots, and they finish by cooking or
preserving the food they have grown. Along the way they learn the best
methods of cooking and preserving the nutritional value of the
vegetables.

Each Friday in the fall the youth cook and serve their vegetables
to other kids at Carver Park. As we finished the interview, Mrs. Elrod
had a few words to say about the Health Care bill… “Ignorance breeds
fear. The more information one has, the better one can understand the
value of health care for every individual.”