DETROIT (WXYZ) — The In Memory of Community Garden in the Warrendale neighborhood is putting fresh food on tables and providing vital resources for residents.
Watch Demetrios Sanders' video report:
Barb Matney, president of In Memory of Community Garden, said the inspiration came from witnessing a family in need in her neighborhood.
"We saw a family pulling a wagon, and they were knocking on doors asking for food," Matney said. "And we decided that's unacceptable here in Detroit."
Matney and her husband founded the nonprofit in 2015.
"We actually have corn, zucchini, different kinds of beans, collard greens."
Neighbors can take home free produce during harvest season if they volunteer at the garden. Remaining items are sold to help cover expenses like the water bill.
"Just the taste and flavor of everything is amazing. Watching the stuff all of a sudden start to sprout, knowing you did that, it's just very satisfying to me," Matney said.
Tom Scott has been in Warrendale for 40 years and now volunteers at the community garden.
"Everything we've done here, I've been a part of. The building, the planting," Scott said.
He says the garden has been a true asset to the neighborhood.
"It's a great thing. I come down the street for parsley, some oregano. You can't get a market this close, and it's a great feeling to know we did it," Scott said.
In addition to the garden, the nonprofit has built a playground and is currently working on bringing a multicultural center to the area.
Matney said she has seen how these efforts have transformed the place where she was born and raised.
"When we first started this, there was nobody outside, nobody was walking, nobody had their blinds open, nobody was on their porch. As this went on and the longer we were out here, we noticed that blinds started raising on, people were sitting on their porch," Matney said.
She added that coming together to make a difference is what community is about.
"The way things are today, it's really important we all work together, we all want the same goals, let's get it done," Matney said.
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