New Roots Bronx Community Farm welcomes all, provides healthy food options
NEW YORK -- A community farm in the South Bronx is flourishing into its tenth growing season. It's provided inexpensive and healthy food options for people in the community and a second home for others.
"To me, when I walk in here in the morning, this is just like, my mood changes," said Sheryl Durrant, the Food and Agriculture Coordinator for the New Roots New York Program.
Some say it's a tucked away hidden gem, while for others, it's a new chance on life and growth.
"We welcome all folks of all ages, creeds, races," said Sunny, who works on the New Roots Bronx Community Farm.
But what you don't know...
"We are on a half acre in an urban farm right smack in the South Bronx," said Durrant.
The New Roots Bronx Community Farm might be in the middle of a concrete jungle, but they work to dispel food insecurity and provide access to healthy options one crop at a time.
"We don't get the services that we need. We don't get the infrastructure that we need," explained Durrant.
So that's why Durrant and the community keep their farm thriving.
It's also a part of the New Roots program under the International Rescue Committee. The farm is a welcoming place for refugees and asylum seekers.
"This farm is a beacon for all of these diverse groups to converge," said Durrant.
CBS2 spoke with one volunteer who explains why they look forward to coming back every season.
"I'm Australian, even though I don't sound like an immigrant, I'm also from somewhere else, and to be in a place with people who have all found a home here," said Lisa Edmondson. "It's really cool and special."
Edmondson said what's kept her coming back for the last five years is the community.
"It's women, it's connected to an organization I really believe in, and it's a chance to meet people, not just long-term immigrants as well, but people who just arrived," she said.