EDGEWOOD, Md. — Putting some new plants in the ground, while preparing to harvest others, the community garden outside American Legion Post 17 in Edgewood is ready for business, and you can’t beat the prices.
“What makes our garden unique, especially this size, is it’s free so they don’t have to pay a membership fee or rent a space to be able to come and help out,” said BangTam Miller of the 755 Alliance.
With the help of the American Heart Association and the University of Maryland Medical System, volunteers have helped create the garden and a similar one at nearby Presbury United Methodist Church, which can produce an estimated 12 hundred pounds of fresh vegetables and fruits each year—-all to meet an existing need.
Watch the Harford County community come together to battle food insecurity
“In Harford County, nearly nine percent of residents experience food insecurity,” said Upper Chesapeake Health President & CEO Elizabeth Wise, “That translates to thousands of neighbors who may not know where their next healthy meal is coming from.”
The American Legion post has named its community garden after a pair of Harford County Sheriff’s deputies who died in the line of duty nine years ago.
Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey and Deputy First Class Mark Logsdon will forever remain in the hearts of their community, and Logsdon’s daughter, Bethany, says she appreciates the support.
“It’s always there,” Logsdon told us, “It’s always a reminder, but this is one of the great reminders that we do have that community can just come together and learn a lot of things and how to work together and continue on."
It’s a labor of love and as much as the nutritious foods are needed, the plots will bare far more than the fruit and vegetables alone, as noted by Tracy Brazelton of the American Heart Association, “They are a place where veterans, families and neighbors can come together to grow something meaningful both in the soil and in their lives.”
