Lake Wales To Tackle Food Insecurity With Launch Of Community Garden

LAKE WALES, FL — In an effort to battle food insecurity in the community, residents, government officials and nonprofit organizations came together Friday morning for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Grove Community Garden in Lake Wales.

The community garden is named for the neighboring community of Grove Manor, a Lake Wales Public Housing Authority community, and will primarily serve residents of the Northwest Neighborhood of Lake Wales It is located on city-owned property at the James P. Austin Community Center, 315 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Those participating in the groundbreaking included Lake Wales Mayor Jack Hilligoss, members of the city commission and Lake Wales government staff, representatives from the Department of Health in Polk County, the Polk County Food Security Council, KidsPACK Inc., Central Florida Health Care, B Street Community Service Center, Friends of The Grove Garden, Boys & Girls Club of Polk-South Ridge Unit and the United Way Community Wellness Initiative.

A task force made up of local health and social service provider chose the Northwest Neighborhood of Lake Wales after data indicated higher rates of food insecurity, chronic disease, behavioral health problems and other health-related risks in the neighborhood where the average median income is less than $20,000 a year.

The community long-depended on a mom-and-pop market in the Northwest Neighborhood for its groceries but the market closed and there are no grocery stores within 1 1/2 miles of the community.

That's too far away for many residents who have no access to transportation, said Jessica Napoleon, a public health planner with the Florida Department of Health in Polk County. She said the garden is intended to encourage residents to plant their own healthy fruits and vegetables to supplement their diets.

"We're taking a vacant lot owned by the city and turning it into a community garden where residents can grow their own food," she said.

Similar community gardens have not only become a source for fresh foods, said Cheryl Baksh, specialist with the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency, but they've become a gathering spot for families to get out and meet neighbors, exchange gardening tips and educate their children on the importance of a healthy diet.

“We really want to address the food insecurity within the Northwest area, but we also want to make this a destination spot," she said.

The task force is designing raised planters for growing vegetables and will set aside an area for a food orchard and gazebo for community events. She said the garden is expected to be ready for planting in August.

In the meantime, residents interested in participating in the community garden can submit ideas on how the garden should be laid out and how it should function by emailing Napoleon at Jessica.Napoleon@flhealth.gov.