LAKEWOOD — A food desert on the east side of Lakewood is on its way to having a small oasis of fresh produce that will feed the neighborhood as well as provide educational opportunities.
Sprout City Farms has partnered with the city of Lakewood and leaders from the Two Creeks neighborhood to grow a variety of crops on a 1¼ acre plot in Mountair Park in an area the U.S. Department of Agriculture has labeled a food desert.
That means , said Lakewood associate planner Alexis Moore.
“The bottom line is we’ll be teaching self-sufficiency and for people to be able to grow their own food,” Moore said. “Especially with kids. I think a lot of kids don’t understand where their food comes from, or that a potato grows out of the ground.”
The garden is also funded in part by the Denver Regional Council of Governments as part of its work around the Sheridan light rail station.
The Mountair Park garden will probably produce 5,000 pounds of produce the first year, which could double or even triple in coming years, said Alison Hatch, the director of development and outreach for
The Denver-based non-profit is committed to providing fresh food and education around nutrition and farming; the organization has one farm at , Hatch said.
Community members can share some of the Mountair harvest by purchasing a share or stopping by a produce stand on the property that will operate on a donation basis. Ten percent of the harvest will be donated to a neighborhood organization that works with underserved populations.
Liz Hartman is a resident of the Two Creeks neighborhood and a member of the Community Advisory Committee that’s worked on the Mountair project. At her group’s recommendation the city tore out a basketball court next to the garden and will be replacing it with a multi-use court and picnic shelter.
“This should really help revitalize that park,” Hartman said. “The thing that’s great is we will try to provide opportunities for the neighborhood to learn whatever they’re interested in and really try to tap into the vast resources of farm staff and community members to try to build some community ownership and skill sharing.”
Sprout City Farms is wrapping up a to get final funding; workshops, school programs, internships and community classes will be part of the educational component.
“There will be a professional farm manager overseeing the farm, and people won’t have their own plots,” Hatch said, stressing that the goal is for the community to be involved as much as they are able.
The community garden is part of the “20-minute initiative” funded by the Denver Regional Council of Governments.
The goal of the Lakewood portion is to improve safety around the Sheridan light rail station and help residents get all their needs — including nutrition — within a 20-minute bike ride. The new garden is along a bike path and the .
“Low-income residents don’t always have a car, and access to healthy food is a big issue for this area,” Moore said. “This project creates so many wonderful opportunities and has really been driven by Two Creek residents saying they wanted this in their community.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com
