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Growing Healthy Food In Southeast Ohio
By: WOUB Staff Writer
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An Ohio University graduate student is leading a new initiative aimed at giving fresh fruit to the community and the produce will be free of charge.
Lori Gromen worked with the nonprofit Community Food Initiatives to plant and then map community orchards in Athens.
"The end goal was in maybe five, ten, in the next twenty years that we would have these trees throughout the city on city property that is available for anyone and everyone to take. So that fruit would be free for the taking," says Gromen.
Gromen says this project was possible thanks to grant money.
But, planting trees in communities in order to provide fresh produce isn't a new idea.
In fact, other non-profit groups are doing the same thing on a larger scale.
"They actually plant, if you're a community and have public space, they will give you money and the means necessary to plant a hundred fruit trees because they're trying to increase this idea of food security and access to healthy fruits and vegetables," says Gromen.
Gromen appeared on WOUB Televsion's Newswatch program Friday.