Carter County residents build healthier future together

Published 8:46 am Friday, March 1, 2019

With the weather warming up and the rain still coming, people are beginning to return to their gardening habits. For families in need, however, something that could save them money and improve their lives slips from their fingers due to a lack of resources.

Carter County Drug Prevention and the Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council (ARCDC) are partnering once again to host Build It Up, a program dedicated to providing knowledge on personal home gardens.

ARCDC’s director, Lexy Close, said the program started in Johnson City in 2012.

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“We were a group of folks who wanted to teach gardening skills,” Close said. “We started here in Elizabethton two or three years ago.”

The expansion of reach came from a partnership with CCDP’s Director, Jilian Reece, who sits on the Community Advisory Board in Carter County.

“I just loved it,” Reece said. “I asked them if they could bring it to Carter County as well.”

Every year, the program accepts applications and invites 30 families across the county to participate in special gardening seminars, each one dedicated to teaching the basics of how to set up a personal garden, as well as when, where and what to plant during specific times of the year.

Close said the program is designed towards families who need the benefits that come from a community garden.

“Two or three generations ago, everyone had a garden,” she said. “We have lost that skill over the years, and we want to help people connect to their food again.”

The program typically accepts families who are experiencing life difficulties, including those on financial assistance and other medical disabilities.

Both ladies said the benefits of a community garden are two-fold, benefiting both health and finances.

“This is a great way to lower food costs,” Close said. “You can also go down a pant size at the end.”

Though applications for the gardening classes are over, the program is also hosting nutritional and cooking classes throughout the year as well. Several nutritional specialists will teach these classes, which do not require application or registration beforehand.

“We talk about the ways a garden can benefit your health, as well as how to eat on a budget,” Reece said.

Close said organizing the program every year is rewarding for her.

“I love teaching and showing what I know,” she said.

For participants of either program, Close said she hopes those involved have fun and learn a lot.

The first cooking/nutritional class will take place April 11 at the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library.