If fresh fruits and vegetables are out of reach — literally — then no amount of sales strategies or promotions will increase consumption.
Before anything, fruits and vegetables have to be physically accessible to a neighborhood.
With that fact in mind, Carlisle, Pa.-based The Giant Co. partnered with Empower at the Bridge Foundation to feed underserved families with nutritious foods grown locally, according to a news release.
This is a plan to convert the Pennsylvania city of Harrisburg’s food desert into a food oasis.
Representatives of both organizations joined Gov. Tom Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf May 20, to cut the ribbon and unveil the Giant Bleacher Garden at the old Bishop McDevitt High School, the future headquarters of The Bridge, Eco-Village in Harrisburg.
The Bridge is a for-purpose real estate development company that acquires old properties like schools, malls and warehouses, then turns them into “eco villages” in the inner city. The properties are intended to be self-sustainable, self-contained, mixed-use eco-villages with housing, commercial/retail space, co-working, urban agriculture, innovation/educational center and entertainment.
“Supporting families who struggle to put healthy food on their tables while converting food deserts like the City of Harrisburg into a food oasis is the core of our mission,” The Bridge Eco-Village CEO Garry Gilliam said in the release. “With the Giant Bleacher Garden at The Bridge, we start an agricultural revolution in Central Pennsylvania.”
It takes partnerships to make a difference like this, said Glennis Harris, Giant’s senior vice president of customer experience.
“Each growing season, the Giant Bleacher Garden’s harvest will serve as a tangible symbol of our purpose, connecting families for a better future,” Harris said in the release. “We are so proud to be a part of this incredible project that will help eliminate hunger, heal our planet and create a better tomorrow for the community.”
The Giant Co.’s $90,000 sponsorship over two years enables the foundation to repurpose the bleachers at the former Bishop McDevitt High School football field into productive, high-yielding community gardens that will feed underserved families.
The goal is to promote regenerative neighborhood development by creating a sustainable bleacher garden and high-yielding foodscapes throughout The Bridge Campus, which is the former Bishop McDevitt school in Harrisburg.
In its first year, organizers expect the Giant Bleacher Garden to yield more than 6,000 pounds of vegetables, with increases of about 25% in subsequent years. In 2022, that is enough to supply 120 families with 50 pounds each of fresh vegetables over the growing season.
To date, Empower at The Bridge Foundation has partnered with The GIANT Company along with Harrisburg City F.A.R.M. to bring this vision to life.
Volunteers from The Giant Co. have started helping — and will continue helping — the abandoned school’s garden thrive on an ongoing basis.
“When we work together, communities can be revitalized and success ensured,” Gov. Wolf said in the release. “Today we celebrate a successful public-private partnership.”
Wolf said he has supported this foundation with $4 million through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to revitalize Harrisburg and provide resources to the former Bishop McDevitt High School.
This partnership will provide food-insecure families with regular produce in the months ahead such as: lettuces, salad mixes, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, Asian greens, winter squash, eggplant, pumpkins, peas, bok choy, potatoes, onions, kale, collard greens, beans, zucchini, herbs and edible flowers.
The Giant Co. and Planet Bee also donated beehives to help with pollination and to produce honey.
“Food security and food localization are at the core of the solutions when we talk about children’s attention spans at school, health and wellness disparities, economic restoration and beyond,” Gilliam said in the release. “Food security and food localization need to be at the core of this revolution if we are going to create significant and meaningful change.”
To learn more, visit BleacherGarden.org.