The Jovial Gardens project aims to provide education in sustainable living, to give access to high-quality food to those in need, and to unite the community.
Kristina Welch, the founder of Jovial Concepts – a non-profit organization that wants to "empower under-served communities to thrive" – is taking her love for the community and gardening, and melding the two into one. Jovial Gardens is transforming ordinary lawns into organic gardens to act as an education tool and to provide families in the community a healthy source of food, combating hunger across Colorado. Jovial Gardens has transformed 41 lawns into gardens, and that number will only continue to grow. Thanks to the hard work of Kristina and her team, as well as volunteers in the community, they've managed to grow 17,857 meals from those gardens.
Nearly one in four households with children are struggling with food hardship, and over 25 percent of working families in the state don't have enough food to meet their basic needs, according to the non-profit's website.
Jovial Gardens addresses two problems: food scarcity and food insecurity.
Food Scarcity
With the convenience of fast food, many families in Colorado opt out of buying healthy foods due to those foods being unaffordable. Jovial Concepts did some digging and found that many convenience stores in low-income, inner-city neighborhoods have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Through the support of the community, the gardens will give those low-income, inner-city neighborhoods access to fresh produce. And the best part? All of the food donated to Jovial Gardens goes directly to the nearest area in need from where it is grown.
Food Insecurity
Once those families are given access to healthy foods, many are unsure of how to prepare their food. That's where the education portion of Jovial Gardens steps in to help. By offering food education classes, they are giving those families the opportunity to learn how to prepare and cook food. Through these classes and resources, many low-income households will be able to provide for themselves and, ultimately, be part of the independent sustainable process that Jovial Concepts (through Jovial Gardens) is trying to implement across Colorado. If you're interested, you can donate and help Jovial Concepts support global sustainability through Jovial Gardens. There's also a volunteer sign-up if you're wanting a more hands-on approach. Opening on June 11, Jovial Concepts will be expanding with a new co-op in Denver. Called the Co-Op, it will be a "hub of food sustainability." Bring your family and enjoy the free grand opening event.
Watch the video below to learn more about the Jovial Gardens program:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diWj-L3Sfj4
Do you know a neighborhood in need of a garden and healthy food alternatives? You can host a garden. Have you volunteered with Jovial Concepts? Or have you been impacted by the work they are doing across Colorado? Share your stories with us!
