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As Coronavirus Spreads, Resilience Gardens Take Root

Courtesy of Duron Chavis

 

 

With people losing jobs and having to stay home they’re at greater risk than ever of not having access to food. Virginia officials say there’s been a 20 to 50-percent spike in visits to food banks since the outbreak of COVID-19. Now a movement is taking root in Richmond to help people grow their own.

 

 

Breanne Armbrust is a community organizer in Fulton, a neighborhood in east Richmond. The past few weeks she’s been walking the streets and checking in, from a distance, on the neighbors there.

“Door knocking without actually knocking on doors at this point,” she explained during an interview late last week. 

As COVID-19 has spread the fears she’s been hearing about aren’t actually virus related, they’re food related. 

“I have found people that... prior to us starting feeding the way that we are now…. that hadn’t eaten since the prior Thursday,” she said.  “They hadn’t had food since the week before.” 

Amrbrust’s organization, The Neighborhood Resource Center of Greater Fulton, is now serving hundreds of meals a day. 

But as Virginia settles in for potential months of isolation the organization is also working on plans to help families plant and grow their own food. 

Credit Courtesy of Duron Chavis

It’s part of a growing trend some are calling Victory Gardens - harkening back to World War I and II. 

 

In the time of coronavirus, Duron Chavis calls them resiliency gardens. The agriculturalist in Richmond recently released a series of online videosexplaining how to build a raised bed. 

In the past week Chavis and volunteers have built and delivered more than 20 raised beds throughout Richmond. He says the project is not just about feeding people - it’s also about giving them control. 

“Something to look forward to, something to be optimistic about during this time,” Chavis said. “It’s super important for people to be occupied and doing all they can to really keep themselves grounded.”

 

Click here: To request a garden or learn more

Chavis knows first-hand how important that is. He was one of dozens recently laid off from Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. But he’s not letting that slow down his work. His team is still cranking out raised beds and delivering them to anyone who asks. And although they have plenty of wood to make more, they’re seeking donations of soil. 

“We don’t need the money as much as we need the actual physical resources,” said Chavis. 

They’re also accepting seeds and seedlings, and looking for help delivering the finished boxes to people’s homes. Chavis says anyone can do the same in their own community.  He calls it a movement of resiliency. 

 

You can contact duronchavis@gmail.com to learn more.

 

 

 

 

Mallory Noe-Payne is a Radio IQ reporter based in Richmond.
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