In 1981, my father had started a small business a few years earlier and the economy was in the hole.  We didn't have money to buy much in the way of food.  We were scraping to keep from starving.  We did have a big back yard.  Dad got a shovel, some seeds and a book.  By mid Spring, we had food coming in from the garden.  By Summer, we were eating a lot of fresh produce.  By Autumn, we were canning food for the coming Winter. 

We had the advantage of a yard, but not everybody did.   In 1982, Dad asked the City of Columbus, Ohio for permission to allow our local food bank to start a community garden on the site of our local leaf dump.  It was a massive success.  People rode the bus to the site, were assigned a plot and were asked to devote a little time to the food bank's plot.  In the first year, the food bank's plot provided several tons of fresh vegetables to families in the area. 

The project brought people together who were neighbors, but had never met.  Lifelong friends were made.  Struggling families were helped with the satisfaction of providing their own food.  An unhealthy economy gave rise to better nutrition for a lot of people. 

Our cities and towns generally have plots of land that there is no tax revenue to turn into parks.  In our current economy, these areas could be converted into community gardens.  It would reduce the strain on food banks, provide fresh, organic food for families and allow our children to learn things that their grandparents knew. 

If your community has a garden, please share your success story.  If your community does not, please contact your city council and ask that they plan them for next Spring.  Now is the time.  Let's get our local politicians to help everybody help themselves.