Community Service Garden:

Restore, Replenish, Renew

Presented by Maricopa County Cooperative Extension SNAP-Ed:

Paula J. Barr Skillicorn, MS - Carol Diemer - Traci L. Armstrong Florian, MS, RDN


Abstract:

Residents of South Phoenix food deserts experience food insecurity, high crime, and one of the highest recidivism rates in the nation. This project increases the amount of fresh produce for residents by providing community service hours for offenders on probation to learn gardening skills, grow fruits and vegetables in a community garden, and share that produce with residents in food desert communities. In partnership with TigerMountain Foundation and Maricopa County Probation offices, the Community Service Garden project restores offenders by letting them experience the personal and community benefits of helping, rather than harming their neighborhood. It replenishes healthy eating in the community consistently by providing area neighbors with fresh, local seasonal produce at no or very low cost. It renews the emotional and physical health of residents, offenders, and the community as a whole.

Introduction

  • In South Central Phoenix food deserts, neighborhoods are among the poorest zip codes and have high crime rates.

  • Residents have limited access to healthy produce at affordable prices.

  • Food insecurity leads to produce-poor diets and, long term, results in health issues.

  • Approximately 15,000 men and woman are on probation on any given day and must do community service.

  • A large portion of offenders are still eligible for SNAP benefits.

  • People who commit crimes often feel disenfranchised and disconnected from their communities.

  • TigerMountain Foundation is a multicultural, nonprofit initiative that for 13 years has been focused on engaging local food desert communities to create Natural Agriculture Systems, reduce food scarcity, and change lives of at-risk youth and adults who have been in trouble with the law.

Program Description

Project members (usually probationers, but could be community volunteers as well) complete a Personal Strategy Roadmap that helps them set personal and community goals. They each receive a mentor from TigerMountain Foundation and choose when they will do their community service hours. Members begin their path of gardening through experiential learning while growing seasonal produce. They harvest the fruits and vegetables, then distribute them to residents through a traditional farmers market or a free/minimal cost pop-up produce stand in the surrounding neighborhood. Members also are encouraged to start gardens in their homes or neighborhood to further counter food insecurity.

TigerMountain Foundation handles all offender record keeping, mentoring, reporting, and food distribution. AZ Health Zone University of Arizona Maricopa County Cooperative Extension (aka UA Maricopa County SNAP-Ed) provides gardening classes and produce stand operation information.

Benefits & outcomes

  • Residents have local access to fresh, seasonal produce.

  • Cost of produce is free, or minimal cost that goes to garden sustainability.

  • Families eat more balanced meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

  • Community Service hours are earned for probationers.

  • Residents eat healthier.

  • Offenders experience the nurturing benefits of gardening and learn to grow their own food--skills they can use for a lifetime.

  • Offenders who contribute to their community feel included, which contributes to a lower risk of recidivism.

Future

TigerMountain Foundation’s 3,000 volunteers and its partnership with Probation and the thousands of men and women who must do community service will ensure sustainability. In addition, TigerMountain has access to at least five acres of Opportunity Zone land that can serve as additional community service garden sites.

Despite COVID-19, we have had 30 people who are on probation join this new project. The Probation Office stopped sending people to community service sites during the past six months, but folks were able to come on their own. We look forward to increased numbers when COVID-19 subsides and life goes back to “normal.”

BIO's

Paula Barr Skillicorn is a program coordinator for AZ Health Zone/UA Cooperative Extension, Maricopa County, where she focuses on Food Access for the SNAP-Ed program. A career journalist, she has a master of science degree in professional writing and has worked for Cooperative Extension for seven years in Arizona, and for five years in Missouri. She has extensive experience working with at-risk youth, incarcerated adults, and men and women who have been in prison or are on probation.

Contact information: pskillicorn@arizona.edu

Carol Diemer is also a program coordinator for AZ Health Zone/UA Cooperative Extension, Maricopa County, where she focuses on Food Systems for the SNAP-Ed program. Carol is an expert gardener and loves to teach--especially youth. She is a favorite at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Annual Spring Fiestas because she brings her earthworm farm and teaches children and adults alike the amazing benefits of earthworms in the garden!

Contact Information: cdiemer@arizona.edu

Traci L. Armstrong Florian, MS, RDN, is an Associate Agent at the UA Cooperative Extension Maricopa County. She oversees two grant-funded federal nutrition programs in Maricopa County: SNAP-Ed and EFNEP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education program and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) as well as her newest program, piloted in 2018-2019, the Diabetes Prevention Program through the CDC. Her areas of interests in research have included working with under-served populations to increase food security and nutritional health, as well as examining traditional diets and the effect of acculturation among Mexican women living in the US. Traci enjoys writing and collaborating on projects to better the community.

Contact Information: tarmstro@cals.arizona.edu